Don't Fear The Reaper
by romangrl1
Summary: An older Rachel meets a wiser Puck for the first time in Lima and something bigger than both of them can ruin it all before it begins. Very AU, very Puck/Rachel. Heavily influenced by Sons of Anarchy, because biker!Puck is too good to resist.
1. Chapter 1

Disclamer:

Obviously I do not own Glee, if I did there would be some serious changes made to the characterizations and pairings! This is an AU. Things are really, really different here, so I ask that you give it a chance and if it doesn't work for you then move along. It isn't always going to be happy or good. This story is for adults only. It starts slow but there will be blood, violence, sex and adult language used.

If anyone has ever seen the show Sons of Anarchy you will see tons of parallels. The characters are not here so it isn't a crossover per se but I took a lot of inspiration from the plot and people of the show. Some of this is also based on my own knowledge and experience; I grew up surrounded by a powerful MC in a rural-ish area of the US. While I recognize and readily admit that there is a shadier, seedier and sometimes deadly side to "outlaw" MCs, I was mostly exposed to the great things that they can bring to a community and their common acts of kindness and charity. I don't want to whitewash this culture and I don't think this story does, but I also don't want to be accused to being sympathetic to a group that many consider a gang and dangerous to society.

I am a ten year veteran of various fandoms however I have always been a reader/lurker/occasional beta. So help me out, read and review. And if anyone is willing to offer up their services as a beta to me that would be fantastic, I could really use the help! All spelling/typing errors are mine… believe me, there are a lot. Sorry.

* * *

Lima - 10 Miles

The sign mocked Rachel as she lifted the hood of her 1973 Chevy Nova coupe and coughed as smoke billowed into her face. With a sigh she waived her hand, vainly attempting to peer at the engine and ascertain the latest issue with her beloved but temperamental car.

"Looks like you could use some help," a deep voice rumbled from behind her.

She jumped at the unexpected noise, hitting her head on the raised hood with a yelp.

"Shit! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" the voice muttered while reaching out an arm to steady her.

Rachel looked up at the face of the sexiest voice she had ever heard and was startled by the kindness in his green eyes.

"It's okay, I'm fine. Just a little bump," she whispered, taking in the rest of his tanned, muscular physique. His chiseled face frowned as he watched her absently rub her head.

"Still, I'm sorry if I frightened you." he smirked a bit while saying this. "Do you want me to take a look? I'm a mechanic."

Rachel looked him up and down again before nodding hesitantly and moving out of the way.

"New York plates. Did you drive her straight here?"

She didn't even hear his question as he bent over and started poking around under the hood, grabbing a rag and twisting off the cap. She was too busy studying the back of his cut.[1] The top rocker read "GRIM REAPERS" and the bottom patch said "OHIO" between the two patches was a stylized image of a corpse wearing a cape and hood on a motorcycle, a scythe held menacingly over his head, blood dripping from the blade. To the bottom right of the image was a smaller white patch, rectangular with "MC" in it. The black leather of the sleeveless jacket was worn but obviously cared for. Even though she didn't understand the appeal of motorcycle gangs she took a moment to appreciate the fantastic ass encased in worn jeans and the muscular arms visible under the t-shirt and cut. Her mystery man wore dark, heavy motorcycle boots but she was more drawn to the dark tattoos on his arms.

'Hmm… interesting start in Lima already. Car broke down, biker comes to my rescue… at least I assume he is a biker… The Reapers obviously, and this is Lima,' she mused silently.

Rachel looked around for his bike and saw sun glinting off it where it was parked in the turnoff down the road.

"Ma'am?" the voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Yes, sorry. How's it look?" she asked the smirking man.

"Well your coolant is leaking and the hose looks like it is totally shot. Looks like it needed to be replaced a while ago. Lemme call my buddy to come out with a tow and we can get you into the garage," he said, reaching for his cell phone.

"I have AAA," Rachel hurriedly stated.

"Believe me, we are faster, more reliable and cheaper than whatever garage they will take you to," the man drawled, looking her up and down as he waited for his friend to pick up.

She gave a curt nod at his claim and walked over to the driver's side door, sitting down to grab her purse from the passenger seat.

Rachel was petite but skinny with legs a mile long; wearing what he felt was a criminally short jean skirt and knee-high suede leather boots. A small white tank top gave him a great view of a killer rack. Natural he suspected, exactly a handful. She was all tanned, smooth skin and long dark hair, luscious lips and dark eyes. Damn.

'What a tight little package,' he thought.

"Finn! Hey man, I need you to bring the tow out to Highway 220. Right by the 10 mile marker," he said into his cell. "Naw man, you'll see me. No, it ain't the bike. Early 70's Nova. Yeah, cherry red. Seriously, you'll see me. I'll 'splain when you're here. Cool."

He flipped the phone shut and looked back over at Rachel. "Should be about 15 minutes. I'm Puck, by the way," he said, extending a hand to her.

"Rachel," she replied, shaking his hand hesitantly.

"So you didn't answer my question earlier. Don't worry though, I'm used to distracting women… I'm a stud," Puck said with a cheeky grin towards Rachel and her light blush.

"Oh, sorry, what did you ask?"

"I see you have New York license plates. Are you just passing through? Did you drive straight here? Where did you get this sweet ride?"

"I've been living in Manhattan for about 10 years now but I was born and raised in Lima. I needed to come home to settle some family business but I expect I'll be here for a while. The car was a present to myself on my 21st birthday. I've always loved cars, my daddy liked to collect them so I grew up appreciating them, though I'm not sure he agreed with my taste. He was more of a roadster kind of guy, loved his Astin Martin and the prized 1954 Jag convertible," she explained, a faraway look in her eyes.

"Wait, you're local? I didn't go to school with you and we look about the same age. What'd you say your last name was?"

"I didn't. And I went to St. Elizabeth's over in Carmel. Even though I am Jewish dad felt I would get a better education there. I think daddy just went along with it because there were no boys. Puck, huh? That's an interesting name. From Shakespeare?" she asked, glossing over her own last name for the moment.

"Naw, 's short for Puckerman, my last name. I know your first name, you know my last name… this seems almost even. Though if your dad has an Aston Martin AND a classic Jag I think I can guess that you are a Berry. Never knew they came in hot, female versions."

"My father's made sure that secret was kept close to the vest. Sorry."

"I'm sorry too," he said, leering and looking her up and down once more. "We could have had fun in high school… though I don't think the daddies would have approved. At all. I am sorry, by the way. I know how losing a dad sucks, can't imagine losing 'em both. They were good guys, didn't much care for my kind, but were respectful. We had no beef."

"Thanks, I think."

A tow truck came lumbering up the road alongside them. A tall, lanky guy wearing coveralls and a blue t-shirt jumped out the driver's side. His arms were similarly covered in tattoos, but his face and demeanor were overall more boyish than Puck's.

"Hey man, thanks for coming out," Puck said, giving the tall guy a quick man-hug and doing one of those ridiculous handshakes men are so fond of.

"Anytime, bro," the man she assumed was Finn responded. "What's up?"

"Rachel here is having some radiator issues; we need to get her car and my bike back to the garage. Gimme the chains, we'll get the Nova up on the bed and you can take Rachel with you. I'll tail. You okay riding back into town with this tall drink of douche Rach?" he turned, questioning her.

"Aww, you don't want to give me a ride?" she sarcastically purred, arching an eyebrow and pouting her lips for effect.

"Don't say shit like that baby if you don't mean it," he growled.

She just grinned at him, "Not my fault you're unprepared."

"Finn, get the car back, Rachel's coming with me," Puck ground out. Finn was looking between the two of them with amusement as Puck grabbed her arm and hauled her towards his waiting Harley.

"Sure man, whatever," Finn chuckled and proceeded to hook up the car to the winch system and get it up on the tow's bed.

Puck tossed Rachel his helmet and got on his bike. "You been on a bike before?"

Rachel arched a perfect eyebrow at his smirk and nodded as she adjusted the helmet strap under her chin. "Nothing quite as nice as this though," she added.

"Well get on, we'll meet your car back at the shop."

She swung a leg over and wished briefly that she wasn't wearing such a short skirt. She settled against his back and shivered slightly when her hands rested just under his cut and t-shirt on his toned abdominal muscles.

"I meant what I said earlier darlin', don't start shit you don't intend to finish," he grinned over his shoulder at her before gunning the engine and taking off down the road.

* * *

The ride was shorter than Rachel would have liked. She was comfortable and loved the wind in her face and the safety Puck's presence offered. She took in the sights as they moved through downtown Lima, noting the new stores and closures since she was last home several years ago.

All too soon they were pulling up in front of Puckerman-Smith Auto Repair. Puck led the bike into the car park and backed it in to park along a row of other motorcycles before shutting it off and helping Rachel off the back.

"Welcome to Puckerman-Smith," Puck drawled while leaning back against his bike.

Rachel took in everything from the eight bay garage and machine shop to the chain link fence that caged off several vehicles from the main parking area all with "Repossessed" stickers affixed to the windshields. The row of bikes amused her, all were similar in style to Puck's, and just behind the row was another building with a dark exterior and a large mural of The Reaper's logo on the front. Some picnic tables were scattered out front by a large barbeque and some bikers were lounging at them, drinking beers and laughing. Over the door was a sign proclaiming "Grim Reapers – Original Lima Chapter".

Just then Finn's tow lumbered into the drive with her car. "Come on," Puck gestured towards the garage, "lemme get you set up over here."

She glanced around at the other workers, noting many similarities. Most were older than Puck, often bearded and tattooed. She assumed that many of them were the owners of the other bikes out front. Signs around the shop proudly proclaimed their Harley-Davidson allegiance along with the standard signs advertising brands of motor oil and brake pads.

"Prospect!" Puck bellowed after his quick once-over of the shop failed to reveal the man he wanted.

"Yeah man, what's up?" a wiry red head piped up from behind the bike he was working on.

"Take this lovely lady over to the office and get her information. And keep your hands off, I see you lookin' and I don't want to have to tell Sarah her man's thinking of steppin' out…" Puck trailed off at the frightened look on Prospect's face. "That's what I thought. Go!"

Turning to Rachel he sighed, "Children. You've gotta keep your eye on them all the time… plus there is nothing more fun than busting the balls of your sister's boyfriend," he joked. "Go with the prospect, he'll take care of you while Finn and I unload the Nova and take a look at the radiator. You can grab some coffee and hang out in the office. Just avoid my mom; she's on a warpath today."

He guided her towards the prospect with a light hand on the small of her back and watched her as she walked away with him. Puck was pleased to see her glance over her shoulder back at him and offer a shy smile. He winked at her in response before turning to grab a rag and his shop jacket off a peg on the wall.

* * *

"Prospect is an interesting name," Rachel said to her companion as she followed him down a small hall.

"It isn't my actual name, it is my status," the red-head replied.

"Status?" she asked with a questioning glance.

"Yeah, in the club. I'm not a patched member yet, I am still just a prospect… it's like being on probation until they decide at the end of the time period if they want me around permanently."

"The club?" Rachel asked, feeling totally clueless.

"Yeah, The Reapers. It is a MC, or motorcycle club. The Lima charter is the mother chapter. I moved here a little more than a year ago and was a hang-around due to my job here at the shop. I told Puck I was interested in joining and he sponsored me as a prospect. I can't wear a full patch or anything but I am recognized as being associated with the club. In a few months I'll be brought up as a full member and they'll take a vote," the prospect explained.

They came into a small office area with two desks and some chairs.

"Hey Ellie, Puck asked me to drop this lady off in here to wait for her car… umm, I'm sorry I didn't get your name," Prospect trailed off looking between Rachel and the older woman seated at one of the desks.

"I bet Puck did," Ellie muttered as she gave Rachel a stern once-over before rolling her eyes and looking back at the paperwork on her desk.

"I'm Rachel," she told him, taking the seat he gestured towards.

"Do you want something to drink Rachel? Coffee or water?" he asked her.

"Coffee would be lovely, but I can get it if you just point me in the right direction."

"No ma'am, that's okay. How would you like it?" Prospect assured her as he moved towards another door in the office.

"Black with two sugars, thank you." Rachel replied.

She relaxed against the chair as he hurried off with her order, closing her eyes as her long drive and the events of the morning finally started to catch up with her.

"So where'd he find you?" Ellie's sharp voice broke her out of her calm reverie.

"I don't understand," Rachel said, looking across the office at her. "What do you mean? I was stranded out on the road on my way into Lima, Puck was nearby and offered me assistance. Finn brought my car back after Puck called him and now here I am."

"Uh huh, damsel in distress thing works well for you I assume. Outfit probably doesn't hurt much either," the older woman drawled.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Rachel asked defensively.

"No darlin' you didn't do anything at all," she smirked. "Just don't expect anything from my idiot son and we'll be just fine."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get touchy. Puck's my son and I love him dearly but he has the attention span of a two year old and I'm getting really tired of taking the angry calls of his one-night stands the morning after. The ex is bad enough to put up with; I don't need some other self-entitled rich girl giving me a headache too. You girls are all the same, think the bad boy with the motorbike is just what they need to get back at daddy and maybe they can save him in the process, turn him into some kind of pussy. It doesn't work like that sister. Puck's exactly what he is supposed to be and he is never going to change." Ellie raved.

"I see. Well, you'll be pleased to know that I had no intentions of getting involved with him, and any daddy issues I may have had have been cured by their recent deaths, so thank you for that reminder. I think I'll go get some air, does this door lead outside? Good. Tell the prospect I'm sorry, I'll take my coffee later." Rachel huffed before angrily storming out of the office.

* * *

Once outside she leaned against the building and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths.

Thinking of her fathers still hurt so much. They had their disagreements over the years but had always been her biggest cheerleaders. Well, until recently. The rift between them only made their deaths harder, she felt tears well up as she realized it would never be healed. She would never have their forgiveness.

Rachel sighed and attempted to shake off that train of thought.

'Puck's mom is a real piece of work,' she mused, 'no wonder he apparently has issues with women.'

"Hey, is everything okay?" Puck's quiet voice washed over her.

Glancing over at him from her spot still against the wall she sighed again. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Somehow I don't believe you," he teased, "come on, tell the Puckerone what's going on in that pretty little head of yours."

"Puckerone? Really?" she laughed.

"Yeah Rach, I'm badass. Therefore I get badass nicknames," he replied, the corner of his mouth lifting in amusement. "Besides, it got you to smile."

She chuckled and shook her head. "Seriously I'm fine, just needed a bit of air."

"Ahh, so my ma got to you. I warned you she was in a right state today. Why do you think I was ducking work and heading out to the creek? There is only so much a man can take." Puck joked, nudging her shoulder before grabbing her hand and leading her towards a nearby picnic table.

"I should be done with your car in a few hours," he started. "Do you want me to get you a ride somewhere or do you want to hang around?"

"I don't know. I was going to stay at my dad's but honestly… it's hitting me now that they won't be there and I'm not sure I am ready for that yet. Sorry, I know it isn't really your problem… but I kind of came home without a plan and now I'm feeling more than a little lost." Rachel admitted. Puck was basically a stranger but somehow that made it easier to be honest and vulnerable with him.

"Well, like I said, I was trying to escape earlier. How 'bout we leave the car here, Finn and the boys will take care of it, and you and I can go for a ride. Take some time and clear your head a bit." Puck suggested.

"I'm not going to sleep with you," Rachel blurted out.

"Shit babe, getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we," Puck ground out before softening at Rachel's obvious embarrassment. "What the hell did my mom say to you?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it. I'm just a little on edge and my mouth is getting away from my mind. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything."

"It's okay babe, don't worry about it. I'm sure my mom told you I'm a man-whore so I shouldn't be too surprised. Anyway, I'm not trying to get in your panties. I just think we could both use a bit of a distraction," he said, tilting Rachel's head up with a gentle hand under her chin so he could meet her eyes again.

* * *

"Shit," Ellie muttered inside the office, taking in the scene on the picnic table between that girl and her son. She let the blinds fall back into place and started back towards her desk.

Ellianne Puckerman-Smith was many things, but an idiot wasn't one of them. She'd been Noah's mom for 28 years and she had never seen him like this before. It had started a few months ago, the sudden reluctance when around the guys to be his usual, "studly" self. He was quieter, more thoughtful but he wasn't sharing those thoughts with anyone. Usually Finn was his confidant, but Finn was a bit shallow and rightfully caught up with his own issues now that he and Quinn were starting a family.

Her son had always been arrogant and outgoing, often to the point of being rude. His reputation was well known in town and she's pretty sure he's earned both the scorn from the high number of women he has slept with and the praise of his prowess between the sheets. As his mother she was both appalled and amused, generally leaning towards amused. Most of these guys were her sons in some way so she learned to laugh at all this ridiculousness years ago.

'He's more like his father every day,' she mused quietly.

Her Noah was smart. You wouldn't know it from his grades in high school or his speech, but he was intelligent and quick. She knew that's why things hadn't worked out with Janelle, his first wife. Janelle had low expectations of him and therefore Puck saw no need to do more than barely meet those. He claimed to like things simple and easy but Ellie knew what he really needed was a challenge, someone to make him think and make him be a better man.

'Doubt that little tart would fit the bill,' she thought spitefully. In the back of her mind, however, she was grudgingly impressed with the young girl who stood up to her and then walked away.

"Hey El," her husband John said, coming into the room with Jimmy and Caleb, two of his oldest friends and fellow club members.

"Hi baby," she replied, giving him a quick peck on his cheek as he settled on the corner of her desk. The other guys threw themselves into the other chairs in the room.

"Everything okay Ellie?" Caleb asked, noting her pensiveness.

"Yeah, just contemplating Noah's latest find."

"Hmm, yeah. Finn says her name is Rachel and she is real smart, not Puck's usual type. Seems she was giving to him just as good as she got," Jimmy told her.

"Rachel, huh?" John snorted. "I stopped learning the names of Puck's conquests years ago. How long are we thinking this one will last?" he groused, looking at Ellie in amusement of his step-son's antics.

"Yeah, I don't know…" Ellie trailed off, looking out the window again in time to see Noah peeling out of the lot, Rachel once more on the back of his bike.

* * *

Puck headed north out of town for a while before pulling off the main road and onto an access road towards the river. Eventually they came to a field and he cut the engine, helping Rachel off the back once again. Twining their fingers together he led her towards the river, to a spot under the tree where two chairs sat.

"I come out here a lot," he mumbled. "Brought the chairs up here a while ago, seemed easier to just leave something permanent."

Rachel sat down in the one closest to the massive tree trunk and looked out over the water, drawing her legs up to her chest.

"What's your name?" she asked him quietly.

"Puck," he responded with an ironic grin.

"Seriously."

"Noah."

"I like that name," she whispered. "Noah."

"Tell me about yourself Rachel," he asked her, settling back into his chair.

"What's there to know? I'm Rachel Berry, I grew up in Lima, I went to private school and was a perfect little girl for her daddies and then I went to the big city for college. I made a name for myself on stage and come home every night to an empty apartment and a life that got even emptier two days ago when my father decided he was okay to drive after their dinner party in Akron and wrapped their BMW around a telephone pole. Sorry. I'm a little angsty," she smiled before breaking down into sobs that wracked her small frame.

Puck was at her side in a heartbeat, scooping her up from the chair before settling himself down under her, strong arms around her as he rocked her back and forth, whispering comforting words in her ear.

When her crying subsided and her breathing returned to normal she looked up at him with a sheepish smile. "I wasn't joking, I'm a little angsty right now… and that more than your reputation is why you won't be getting in my panties," she joked with a wink.

"Har har Rachel Berry. We'll just see about that," he leered back down at her, all the while thinking that hitting on someone so obviously broken probably wasn't the best idea.

'Fuck man, when did you get a conscience? Usually you like 'em nice and vulnerable…' he mentally kicked himself.

She settled back against his chest, tucking her head under his chin and sighed again. "Tell me about yourself Noah," she asked with a teasing lit to her voice.

Puck chuckled a bit before going quiet and looking out at the river. "What's there to tell? I was born here in Lima and I'll probably die here too. My dad died when I was a kid, I was raised by my mom and my step-dad, became a mechanic at the family business right out of high school and here I am, 10 years later…" he said with a resigned tone to his voice.

"And the club…" Rachel prodded.

"Ahh yes, I was wondering how long it would be until that came up… usually it is the first thing girls ask about. The club is my family. My dad and John, my step-dad and some of their war buddies started it in the seventies. It's always been a way of life for me. I love bikes and I love the guys, I don't remember a time when I wasn't a Reaper."

"So you're like their royalty?" she questioned.

Puck snorted a bit and looked down at her before seeing the honest interest in her expression. "Yeah, I guess you could put it like that. The older guys in the club were all best friends with my dad and I think I remind them of him sometimes. Some of their kids are my buddies and some of the others are guys we've picked up along the way or are friends of mine that have joined up. It really is like a big, crazy family. We'd do anything for each other."

"No girls in the club?"

"It depends on what you mean. Girls that ride with us or vote in the meetings and are patched in? No. But many of the guys have old ladies, like wives or girlfriends that are more than just the sluts that usually gather around MCs. They get a certain amount of power and say within the club depending on the status of their old man I guess. Like my mom. Sometimes I'm pretty sure she's the brains behind everything," Puck replied while playing with a piece of Rachel's hair.

Rachel laughed at that thought, "yeah, I can see that. Your mom is…" she trailed off.

"Frightening? Infuriating? A total bitch? Believe me, I have heard them all before," Puck laughed.

"No. I was going to say she is protective. It's probably a good thing, though she could probably be less abrasive about it."

Just then Puck's cell phone started ringing.

"Yeah bro, what's up?" he asked when he saw Finn's number on the screen.

"What the fuck do you mean? Chang and Rutherford are where? Doing WHAT? Yeah, okay. I'll be there in a few, I've got to bring Rachel back to the shop. Okay. Just… don't do anything stupid okay? Quinn'll kill me. Grab my glock and we'll go have a chat with that fucker."

Puck sighed and snapped the phone shut. Rachel had already moved off his lap and was stretching out her legs.

"Sorry to cut this short babe, but it seems that I have some club business to deal with. Lemme take you back to the garage."

Just as he said this a pickup truck came barreling down the dirt road towards their tree. Puck looked towards the truck and swore under his breath.

"Rachel, I'm really sorry to have to do this, but hide!"

* * *

[1] Cuts are jackets, usually more like vests or sleeveless coats, either leather or denim that MC members have their patches sewn on to. On the back of a cut if you are a full member there will usually be four patches, your "colours", the top and bottom are called rockers. They name the club you are a member of and it's location. Then you have the logo patch and the MC patch. Cuts may have many other patches, some of which just denote your status in a club (if you hold an office or have received a special commendation). In real MCs, like the Hells Angels, some of these tell of things you may have done for the club. There are also apocryphal and/or myth patches that some say members of MCs wear that give information such as degrading acts they have done to women, or the fact that they have killed a cop.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: You guys are amazing. I now understand what authors mean when they compare reviews to crack! I've had a shitty few days, but seeing you all excited about this made me more excited about it so I sat down and pounded out the next chapter in record time given my total inexperience in writing. Don't expect quick updates like this often, I work 60 hours a week and am planning a wedding right now, but just this once I think we all deserve a present! 3

As always mistakes are all mine.

Disclaimer: See previous.

* * *

Finn paced in front of the garage, alternately listening for the sound of Puck's bike approaching and glancing down at his cell. It had been about twenty minutes since his panicked phone call to his friend and it wasn't like Puck to take this long. He paused and hit the call button again, biting back a groan as it went directly to voicemail for the fifth time in as many minutes.

'Guess we'll just have to go without him… shit,' Finn silently decided.

Walking back into the garage he took stock of those around. 'Jimmy is still half-cocked after last month, I need cooler heads here,' he thought.

"Ellie!" Finn shouted above the din towards the woman currently making notes on a clipboard near Caleb. "I need to head out, we've got a situation. Where's Big John? I can't get Puck on the phone."

"I sent him out on a call out on the highway, left about a half-hour ago. Why? What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing, I just need to go get Mike and Matt. I'm going to take the van and I'll need some backup. Uhh… Caleb, come with. I'm also taking Prospect. We'll be back in a few. If Quinn calls tell her I'm out on a repo. She's been kind of jumpy lately," Finn told Ellie before turning away to head across to the clubhouse.

"Keep an eye on him, Caleb," Ellie warned once Finn was out of earshot. "He's been a bit gun shy since his last stint in County and Quinn needs him home in one piece… not to mention what Puck will do if something goes down."

Caleb nodded and then chased after Finn, finding him with the Prospect already grabbing some small arms out of one of the club's storage lockers.

"What the fuck is going on Finn? Where are we headed?" Caleb asked while grabbing his own favorite Sig and checking the clip.

"Chang and Rutherford were in town doing a bit of recon that Big John needed on Casey. I guess the he's back trying to push in Lima again and we need to find a way to shut that shit down for good. Anyway, they were at Casey's new warehouse seeing about a shipment that is supposedly coming in and Mike saw that fucker that Tina was rolling with for a while. He lost his cool, went after the guy and got caught. Matt is stuck, can't leave without being seen but managed to get some texts out to me. Mike's pretty bloody, apparently. The dickhead he went after called Casey and it looks like Casey wants him held until he can get there," Finn explained.

"Why'd he go after the guy in the first place?" Prospect asked. "Tina's a big girl and she's smart, she would just dump him if Mike told her what he was up to."

"She hasn't been with this guy for a couple of weeks. Tina said no one night; the guy didn't like that and smacked her around a bit. Tina pulled her gun and he ran off. No one has seen him until today. She tried to cover the marks but it got back to Mike and he's been gunning for this punk ever since. If it were my sister the fucker would be dead too, I get why. But yeah, looks like the creep is hitting some new lows. Anyway, we about ready to go?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, let's do this shit," Prospect responded with a grin.

Caleb and Finn rolled their eyes behind his back. Prospect wasn't allowed to go with the guys as much because of his status. They were trusting him and letting him in more and more, but the older guys were still amused by his excitement whenever he got to participate in something of actual importance.

Finn picked up the duffel he had packed and headed out after Caleb. He said a quick prayer under his breath, mostly that this wouldn't go to shit and that Quinn wouldn't find out he was leading without Puck or Big John around to bail them out if it did go to shit, tossed his bag in the back of the black van with Prospect, and peeled out of the lot.

* * *

Puck ducked down and yanked Rachel down with him. He muffled her yelp of surprise with his hand and made a gesture for her to keep quiet. She raised an eyebrow at him in question but followed his lead, looking irritated at being manhandled like that.

'What the fuck are Casey's guys doing here. I thought they were at the warehouse. Shit, I hope they can't see the bike from here,' Puck's thoughts were racing.

He checked to see that his Harley was in fact obscured from view by some bushes by the road and looked over his shoulder at Rachel. 'What the fuck am I going to do with her?' he wondered as his phone buzzed in his pocket. 'Shit. Finn. Bitch is going to have to wait a bit,' and sent the call to voicemail.

Seeing the two men from the truck heading towards the woods away from where they were crouched, Puck quickly assessed the area before motioning to Rachel for her to follow him. He crawled down the embankment towards the river and over a fallen log. As Rachel scrambled over after him her leg caught on a branch and she had to stifle a cry of pain while blood pooled in a deep gash.

Puck sent her an apologetic yet grateful glance before reaching into his pocket and grabbing a handkerchief to hold over the wound.

"I'm going to go back up and see what's going on. Stay here, don't come out no matter what until I come and tell you it is safe," Puck whispered to her. "Can you use one of these?" he asked, motioning to the small gun in his hand.

'Where the hell has he been hiding that? What the fuck is going on?' her mind screamed as she tried to ignore the pain in her leg and concentrate on the subject at hand.

"Rachel! Rachel!" Puck whispered at her fiercely, trying to snap her out of whatever was happening in her head. "Can you use one, yes or no?" At her head shake he sighed and continued. "This is the safety, this is the trigger. It is loaded. Pull this back, point and then lightly pull the trigger. These are not nice people, if someone comes down here and it isn't me or another Reaper shoot first and ask questions later. I am not joking. Got it?" he whispered.

Rachel nodded and Puck kissed her lightly on the forehead. "I'm sorry about this babe, I'll explain later."

Ignoring her pleading look to stay with her he vaulted back over the trunk and crawled up the riverbank, peeking over the edge to see where Casey's men were. Noticing them over by the woods still he creeped closer.

The two were milling around, one on the phone while the other leaned against the bed of the pickup and stared intently down the dirt access road. Puck thought he recognized one of the guys, but was surprised he didn't see Casey since it was definitely his truck. The shorter man snapped the cell phone shut in obvious annoyance and muttered something to his associate.

'Obviously they are meeting someone here, shit I hope it isn't for an exchange,' he thought, quietly taking out his other piece and checking the clip.

He was about to take out his phone to text Finn about this development when a beat-up Ford Taurus came flying down the gravel, barely stopping before the truck.

"Mario! Wilson! We gotta go! Something's going on down at the warehouse. Casey's cancelled the drop. Hurry up!" a scrawny guy with a shaved head yelled out his window. He quickly threw the car in reverse, gunned the engine and took off the way he came. The other two wasted no time hopping into their own vehicle and driving off.

'Thank fuck,' Puck thought as the car and truck turned out of sight and the dust started to settle. He stood up and began to walk back towards Rachel before a stray thought brought him up short.

'Shit! They're heading to the warehouse!' he realized and frantically dialed Finn's number.

"I'm sorry but the customer you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time, please try again later," the operator's voice purred in his ear.

"MOTHER FUCK!" he yelled, running his hand over his buzzed head. How the fuck was he supposed to get a message into Finn and the others in time? He called the garage and waited for his mom to pick up the phone.

"Puck! Where the fuck are you? Finn just tore out of here with Caleb and Prospect meanwhile John's out at a crash and isn't picking up his cell. What the fuck is going on?"

"Ma, shut up. Who's still there?" Puck cut off her rant.

"Jimmy's here with me, why?"

"Go get him! Now!" he barked.

He heard a bit of commotion on the other end of the line as he waited for Jimmy to get on the call. He decided to leave Rachel where she was for the moment and get this out of the way, his buddies lives could be on the line, she could wait.

"Hey man, what's going on? El is pretty fucking miffed," Jimmy started. Puck could hear his mom huff in the background.

"No time man, call Chief Hummel. Tell him we need a raid on Casey's home base ASAP. The guys went there to get Mike and Matt out but Casey's got back-up on the way," Puck ordered.

"Puck man, we could totally just go in with our own guys. I can grab the others from here and we can just blast in and grab 'em… Maybe take out some of Casey's bastards at the same time."

"Fuck Jimmy, no! We are not starting a fire-fight in Lima in broad daylight. We'd be trespassing at the very least. Fuck! Use your head; we don't need this shit now. Just get Hummel on it before someone gets hurt and then go over and get the others away. Mike'll definitely get hauled in but I'll talk to Artie and see if we can get him off easy. Casey will slither away and move his base, but we can't let this get bloody. Revenge later man."

There was a pregnant pause on the line; he could tell Jimmy wasn't happy.

"Look, just do it, or I swear to fuck I'll kill you myself," Puck stated in monotone. He was so done with this shit. Jimmy had been an issue for a while and Puck wasn't in the mood for his attitude.

"Alright," Jimmy finally replied.

"Good. Take care of it. I'll be there in a few," Puck bit out and ended the call before he got even more annoyed with the older man.

Jimmy and Caleb were like uncles to him; both were best friends with his dad and with Big John. He always appreciated Caleb; the guy was great with his hands, helped Puck out often and even took him to his first strip joint when he was fifteen. He loved Jimmy too, but just couldn't relate to his constant desire for violence. Sometimes you need to use your head, not guns to solve problems.

He tried Finn once more and got the operator's message again. Giving up he put his phone away and went back toward Rachel's hiding place.

As he was heading down the embankment a twig snapped under his foot. Before he knew what was happening a gunshot rang out and a bullet missed his shoulder by about two feet, burying itself harmlessly in the soil behind him.

"HOLY HELL WOMAN! Rach, don't shoot, it's just me!" he yelled from his prone position on the ground.

"Oh fuck, Puck! I'm so sorry!" she cried out as she jumped over the log and ran to his side. "I didn't get you did I?" She frantically moved her hands over his body searching for a wound.

"Fuck, you're a horrible shot. Thank fuck," He sputtered, looking at her like she was insane.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you. NEXT TIME ANNOUNCE YOURSELF YOU ASSHOLE!" Rachel's voice was steadily rising in volume until she was all but shouting in his face and trembling like a leaf.

"Shh… shh… baby, 's okay. C'mere," Puck soothed her, bringing her into his arms.

"I was so frightened. Don't ever leave me alone like that ever again. What the hell was that anyway? Where are those guys? I heard engines but I didn't peek. You didn't kill them did you? I can't stop shaking. I left your gun by the tree. Who were those men? Oh my gosh my leg hurts. What is going on?" Rachel rambled, unable to keep up with the thoughts running through her head.

Puck cut her off by forcefully slanting his lips over hers. His tongue darted out to tease her bottom lip. At first she stiffened and opened her mouth to question him. He took advantage of this movement and deepened the kiss. After a few beats Rachel relaxed into his arms and started to kiss back, tentatively stroking his tongue with her own. He continued like this until they both needed air, pulling back and looking down at her, Rachel's face framed by his large hands.

"Fuck you're short," he said, smirking at the dazed expression on her face.

Exasperation quickly washed over her and she stomped her foot in annoyance. "You can't just distract me like that!" she cried.

"Pretty sure I can and did. Seriously though, are you like a midget? You barely even reach my chest!" Puck teased.

"Ugh. You're so annoying. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" Rachel yelled, finally reaching her limit.

"Nothing baby, it really wasn't a big deal," Puck said indulgently. "Just some guys I know that deal in some shady things. I didn't want anything to happen to you if they saw me. It's cool. They're gone, but some of my friends might be in trouble so we need to get back to town, okay?"

"Not a big deal? Are you kidding me? You gave me a GUN! Obviously something was a pretty big deal!" she exclaimed.

Puck shook his head and grabbed her hand to lead her back up the bank, choosing to let her rant instead of responding. He heard her gasp of pain and turned back to her. The cut on her leg was still bleeding pretty steadily and was now caked in dirt.

"Shit, I think that'll need stitches. You okay to ride?" he asked her.

Rachel looked down at her shin and then back up at Puck. "If I can spend six hours a day in pointe shoes with an incompetent pas de deux partner I can definitely ride your bike into town," she replied smartly.

"I don't even know what that means," he told her before lifting her into his arms and starting to walk again. "Also, I'm pretty sure I've carried watermelons that weigh more than you."

Rachel rolled her eyes but didn't protest his move, it felt kind of nice to be taken care of she admitted to herself. 'His arms are a gift from God. Seriously,' she mused as he finally set her down by his motorcycle.

"Let's get back and get you cleaned up."

* * *

Artie pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to fight the growing pain behind his eyes. Deskwork sucked and he was pretty sure he needed new glasses even though this prescription was only a year old. Chief Hummel had gone tearing out of here earlier like there was an Amber Alert, taking three officers with him and shouting over his shoulder for Artie to hold down the fort.

It had been two years since he was shot and he still hadn't adjusted to being outside the action. He'd always wanted to be a police officer, but maybe it was time to consider something else.

With a sigh he rolled away from his desk towards the coffee machine.

"Yo Abrams! Where are you?" Pucks voice sounded through the small station.

'Well this might make my day a bit more exciting at least, Puck usually gives me something more than paperwork to do, though it still often comes with the requisite headache,' Artie thought to himself.

"Back here man, I'm getting a coffee," he called out.

A few seconds later a dusty Puck appeared with a cute girl in tow. 'Big surprise,' Artie thought in amusement.

"Fuck Abrams, just because you literally sit all the time now doesn't mean you should be conforming to the fat-cop-with-a-doughnut stereotype. Drop the coffee and get over here, we gotta talk man," Puck jested.

"Puckerman, do you even know what the words 'conform' and 'stereotype' mean?" Artie shot back as he wheeled towards his desk. "Also still maybe too soon to be making cracks about the wheelchair."

"Fuck you man, whatever. You and I both know it is a fucking chick magnet once they find out why you're in it. You could be like, elbow-deep in pussy. Not my fault you chose to become one instead."

Artie just sighed and looked at the mystery woman, asking with his eyes 'do you see the shit I put up with?' She returned his stare with an understanding nod and bemused lip quirk and he briefly wondered if this chick was more than just one of Puck's usual parade of bimbos.

"Hey! Pay attention man! Rachel, this is Artie Abrams. I used to beat him up in high school when I wasn't playing guitar with him. Loser became a cop but I don't hold that against him too much. Abrams, this is Rachel Berry. She's coming back to Lima after a long absence. I rescued her earlier today in a way you and your band of merry, uniformed losers could only wish to emulate. Yes I know that word too. Now we all know each other, let's get down to business. I need you to get Mike Chang out of jail." Puck stated.

"Dude, Mike Chang isn't even in jail. What the hell are you talking about?" Artie asked, wondering not for the first time if Puck had a permanent concussion or something.

"He will be in a bit. Hummel's probably cuffin' n' stuffin' him as we speak… along with a bunch of Casey's idiots. And if I'm lucky Casey himself." Puck told him, lacing his fingers together behind his head and leaning back in his chair.

"So you know why Chief left a while ago?"

"If Jimmy did what I fucking told him to he left for a raid on a warehouse. Mike and Matt were there doing some surveillance for us and Mike attacked one of the guys and got caught. Finn went over to the warehouse to get them out but Casey sent back up so I got Hummel to hopefully shut it down before it began." Puck explained to the other man.

"If Mike attacked a guy WHILE he was trespassing I can't just let him walk," Artie told him. "Especially if the guy wants to press charges."

"Listen, Mike had a good reason and it wasn't a fair fight. I am sure Mike looks way worse than the other guys."

"You idiots always think you have a good reason," Artie responded.

"Seriously, Mike only went after the guy because he knocked around Tina when they were dating," Puck whispered.

Rachel gasped next to him, obviously distressed at the thought of a man attacking a woman he is seeing. Artie let out a low growl at the news, both reactions were noted by Puck.

"You know Mike wouldn't attack a guy unprovoked. He is the least likely out of all of us to pull shit like this, but if it was you…" Puck trailed off.

'If it was me the guy would be dead,' Artie thought. 'Tina is perfect, why would anyone ever want to hurt her? How could they even? She is so compassionate,' he recalled. She was his favorite nurse when he was recuperating from his injury. Artie continued to fantasize about the lovely Asian for a moment before realizing Puck had started talking again.

"…so can you help?" he finished.

Artie just nodded at the larger man, still in a daze from this new information. "Is Tina alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, it happened a couple of weeks ago and the dick disappeared right after, she's fine," Puck told him, grabbing Rachel's hand at the thought of his friend's sister and her ordeal.

Artie took in their joined hands and grinned over at Rachel. "It was nice to meet you Rachel. Hopefully we will see each other again. Maybe next time we will actually talk. Do me a favor and try to keep this idiot out of trouble?" Artie asked her.

"Absolutely," she responded with a wide smile.

"Let's go Rach, I wanna get your leg looked at," Puck told her, nodding his thanks at Artie. "We're heading to see Quinn at her house if you need me," he said to the other man.

"Ha! Have fun with that," Artie replied before going back to the paperwork on his desk.

'Well, I was right. Puck did give me something else to do,' he thought, watching the couple leave together. 'This could be fun,' he smiled before going back to thinking about Tina.

* * *

"'Sup douche?" Where's my husband?" a pretty blonde with a small baby bump snarked as she opened the door and ushered them into her small home.

"Hey bitch, no idea. Out on a repo or something. Quinn meet Rachel, Rach this is Quinn. Finn's her husband," Puck said, gesturing between the two women. "Q we need your help. Rachel cut her leg open when we were out at the river. I don't want to take her to emerg where she'll just sit for a few hours, can you take a look at it?"

Quinn raised her eyebrows at Puck and the petite brunette with him. "It's my day off dickwad and Finn's kid is dancing on my bladder," she stated firmly.

"C'mon Q. I'll totally owe you. Seriously, when was the last time I asked you for anything?" Puck pleaded.

"Umm, how about three nights ago when you asked me not to kill you for bringing Finn home totally shitfaced? He puked in the kitchen sink!" she countered.

"Fine!" Puck exclaimed. "How bout this, I'll paint the baby's room on Saturday. I know you've been trying to get Finn to do it and he keeps flaking."

"Deal," Quinn agreed before grabbing Rachel's arm and dragging her into the kitchen with Puck following. "Sit," she motioned to a chair at the small dining table before walking towards what Rachel assumed was a bathroom and returning with a large first aid kit.

"Why'd you bring her here when you know I'll give you shit instead of taking her to Tina. You know she's sweet on you," she asked Puck as she put on some rubber gloves.

"Tina does not have a thing for me, you and Mike just want her to… though with my reputation I cannot imagine why Mike would be okay with that. Anyway, some shit might be going down and she might have her hands full later," Puck told her.

"That 'shit' better not include Finn. Anyway where'd you find this one?" Quinn asked, grabbing a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some gauze.

"Hi, yeah. I'm actually sitting right here. And my name is Rachel, not 'this one'. What is up with all the women in your life kind of being bitches, Puck?" Rachel asked him.

He doubled over in laughter at the annoyed looks on both girls' faces. However he quickly held his hands up in supplication when that annoyance turned to twin glares. "Chill ladies, chill. Q try to be less… you. Rach, I have no idea why they are, I guess I just like strong women," he replied with a cheeky grin.

"Ugh, you're disgusting Puck," Quinn said as she sat down next to Rachel and moved her leg into her lap. "This might sting a bit," she told the dark haired girl.

"Ow! Fuck!" Rachel cried out.

"I warned you," Quinn told her, continuing to clean the wound. "Wuss," she muttered under her breath.

Rachel shot her another glare but chose to stay silent.

"Speaking of your 'strong women' Puck, I ran into Janelle at the Safeway earlier. Seems she's moved on entirely. Rumor has it she is shacking up with Dave Karofsky." Quinn told Puck.

"The fuck she is! What a fucking whore. If that's true I'll kill her, no lie," Puck threatened. "You hear that shit from Kurt?"

"Nah, I got it straight from the horse's mouth. Well, 'whore's' mouth, I guess," Quinn informed him. "She's pretty much telling anyone with a pulse. San and Britt heard it from her too."

"Guess that means it isn't actually a rumor," Rachel quipped.

Two heads turned in her direction. Puck looked as though he was just now remembering she was even there and vaguely uncomfortable that they were discussing his ex-wife in front of her. Quinn appeared mildly impressed before schooling her features to appear impassive once again.

"You don't need stitches. Just keep it clean and dry. It'll scab over soon. If you're worried about a scar pick up some Polysporin on your way home," she told Rachel, taping some gauze over the clean gash. "You bringing her to the cookout tonight?" Quinn asked Puck.

"Shit, that's tonight? Fuck." Puck groaned. "Yeah, probably. Mom'll be pissed if I bring her but she'll also be pissed if I don't show and those are pretty much my only options at this point," he said, smiling at Rachel.

"Well this should be fun," Quinn muttered as she moved to return the first aid kit to its home.

"Fuck off Q!" Puck shouted after her. "We're leaving!"

"Yeah, whatever. Just send my husband home sometime soon. I don't want him showing up covered in grease tonight!" she called from the other room.

'This really could be fun,' she thought to herself. 'Puck's maybe got a real girl… Assuming I don't kill her.'

* * *

Big John sat back in his chair, turned towards the only window in the darkened room. He sipped his whiskey quietly and thought about the day. Ellie had given him an earful when he got back from the crash. Jimmy was pretty brassed off too. Puck was still MIA, though Mike Chang was out of jail so he must have made an appearance at the station at some point. Finn told him that Puck had got caught up at the river and Caleb said everything went as smoothly as it could considering the whole recon debacle at the warehouse. Still, he was annoyed.

Jimmy could just fuck off, Puck made the right decision there and Big John knew it. Going in fully armed would have made more problems for the club than they needed and someone probably would have died. Casey would just move though, which meant finding his hole again and doing reconnaissance… again. Also, Hummel now knew that Casey was dealing in Lima again, another problem for the club.

Just then he saw Puck pull his bike into the lot, the girl from earlier still on the back. 'Rebecca? Rhonda?' he racked his brain for her name before remembering he didn't care.

"Sounds like we missed some action today," a voice came from behind him.

Big John snorted into his glass in response and motioned to the man to sit down.

Will reached over and poured himself a healthy glass of whiskey and turned to follow John's line of sight.

"She's cute," the younger man told John, seeing Rachel throw her head back with laughter at something Puck told her.

"Think she'll last?" John asked, glancing over at him.

Will furrowed his brow in thought before responding. "Listen, I know you and Ellie both think something is up with him, but I think it's pretty normal. Shit is changing around him. He's done with Janelle. He was a little crazy for a while and now it is leveling out."

Will Schuester was younger than Big John and the original Reapers but older than Puck and his boys. He was the secretary of the club and tended to be the voice of reason and, when needed, the one to help bridge generational gaps.

"I don't know sometimes. I laugh at the women and the fighting and the drinking because before that bitch Janelle sucked out his soul that behavior was the Puck we all knew and loved. But the boy has got to start stepping up. He handled some of the shit today but he wasn't actually here for any of it. I need to know what went down from his angle but it looks like he is otherwise occupied tonight," he explained to Will who nodded in understanding.

Both men sat in silence a while longer, thinking about nothing and everything before Will broke the quiet.

"C'mon old man. We gotta get to the barbecue eventually. I don't want your old lady to kill you and Carole was going to try and convince Emma to come for me. We can grab Puck and the girl on our way out," he said, finishing his drink and clapping Big John on the shoulder.

'Fuck, the cookout. Huh, and Puck's bringing a girl, eh? El's gonna throw a fit. This could be fun,' he thought, finishing his own drink and following Will out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Everyone's reviews and support have been amazing. Thanks for making this such a great experience so far! I hope you like this next installment and the introduction of some more Glee characters, including some minor characters that I'm pretty sure are from Glee canon but might be from other fanfic I have read over the last month. I apologize to any authors if I am unknowingly borrowing their OC and thank them for lending them out. It is a bit of a filler chapter, but the story will be moving along again very soon.

Disclaimer: See previous.

* * *

Puck pulled his bike up outside a well kept home not too far from where Rachel grew up. He helped her off the back and placed both their helmets on the back. Rachel bit her bottom lip and looked up at him from under her lashes.

"Are you sure this is going to be okay? I really don't want to cause any trouble…" Rachel started.

Puck cut her off with a gentle kiss. "Babe, believe me, you are no trouble, at least no trouble I'm not willing to be a part of. Seriously, my mom can just shut up. Now let's go back."

She smiled up at his bravado and took the hand he was holding out to her, leading them around the side of the house and through a gate into a beautifully landscaped backyard. Out of nowhere a small blur launched itself at Puck, hugging him around the waist and burying her face in his chest. Rachel looked at the small woman in confusion but Puck just grinned at her and gently disentangled himself.

"Thank you Puck. I know you talked to Artie and got Mike off and just, thank you. I know Mike only got in trouble because of me. I'm so sorry," the girl rambled.

"It's okay Tina, you know I would never let anything happen to my boys if I could stop it. And that guy deserved everything Mike gave him and more. You deserve that," he told her gently. "Tina, I want you to meet Rachel. Rachel, this is Tina Chang. Tina can you take Rachel for a bit? Introduce her to the others, yeah? I need to go check in with my mom."

"Of course Puck! Come with me Rachel, I know some people who are dying to meet you!" Tina told the other girl with a predatory look on her face.

"You'll be okay babe, Tina isn't as scary as she seems," Puck reassured Rachel before kissing her lightly on the temple and wandering off towards the grill.

Tina grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her over towards a group of women on some loungers by the pool. Rachel recognized Quinn in the group but none of the others. Quinn was sipping on a lemonade and listening to the two girls drinking beers opposite her playfully argue about something. Tina pulled Rachel down to sit next to her on the chaise on Quinn's other side.

"Please tell me you are not still arguing with Britt about bridesmaid dresses Santana. I thought we settled this a few weeks ago!" Tina groaned.

"I saw the cutest dress in the window at LaBelle's downtown today and I really think we should consider it!" the exotic, tanned girl whined. "Who's your friend?" she asked Tina, taking a pull on her beer.

"I know the dress you are talking about San and it would make us all look like whores. Also, our dresses have been ordered, deal with it. This is Rachel, she's Puck's flavor of the week," Quinn answered in a bored tone.

"Quinn!" Tina exclaimed, ignoring Santana's amused smirk and Brittany's confused glance. "I'd blame your attitude on pregnancy hormones if you hadn't been this much of a bitch for the last 27 years as well! Rachel, I see you've already met Quinn. This is Santana and this is Brittany. Santana is worse than Quinn so ignore most of what she says. Brittany is my future sister-in-law." Tina explained to an amused Rachel.

"Hi Rachel!" the blonde identified as Brittany gushed. "It's great to meet you! Artie said you were attractive. Are you sleeping with Puck?"

Santana and Quinn rolled their eyes at Britt's questioning. Sometimes their friend forgot to filter her thoughts before saying them aloud.

Rachel just smiled and returned Brittany's effusive greeting, choosing to ignore her question about Puck by focusing on Artie. "He said I was attractive?" she asked.

"Yeah, when we were down at the station picking up Mike after the misunderstanding this afternoon he mentioned that you were there with Puck," Brittany told her matter-of-factly. "Mike! Come meet Rachel!"

Rachel looked over her shoulder to see Puck standing with Finn and two other men. The thin Asian waived at them before grabbing his beer and ambling over. Puck winked at Rachel and smiled. The larger African-American made a whipping motion behind the Asian's back that Puck and Finn both laughed at before motioning that they should follow their friend.

Mike settled on the lounger between Brittany's legs, kicking at Santana until she got up in a huff and sat down on the concrete with her legs dangling in the pool. Matt smacked the back of Mike's head on his way past to sit by his girlfriend poolside. Finn settled behind Quinn and encouraged her to lie back against his chest while he rested one of his hands over her swollen stomach. Puck settled on the remaining lounger between Rachel and Tina, nudging the small Asian with his shoulder before wrapping his arm loosely around Rachel's waist.

"Do we even want to know what is being discussed over here?" he asked with a wry smile.

"I just wanted Mike to meet Rachel! I didn't need you to come over too asshole!" Brittany told him petulantly, sticking her tongue out at him and pouting from her position behind Mike.

Tina ignored their antics and introduced Rachel to Mike and Matt before going to retrieve some beers for herself and Rachel. Rachel curled into Puck's side, laughing at the group and observing their interactions.

Puck seemed to be the ringleader of the guys while Quinn was obviously the leader of the girls. Their caustic barbs to one another seemed to fly over the heads of Finn and Brittany and amused Mike, Matt, Santana and Tina. Santana obviously liked attention and seemed to be closest with Brittany while the clueless blonde appeared to like everyone equally. Mike and Matt were both very funny but much more subdued than Finn and Puck. Big John telling the assembled group to shut up interrupted Rachel's observations.

"Ellieanne and I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. You all are our family and it is always a blessing to have you around. In a few weeks many of our brothers from the other Central chapters will be coming for the annual meeting. For some of you this just means more of a good time, for others it might be a lot of extra work and effort, so I want to thank you for that in advance. I hope you have a great time tonight and remember not to drink and drive… too much." Big John joked as Ellie lightly smacked the back of his head and glared at Puck in particular.

Jimmy announced that the grill was open and people started lining up to get food. "Do you want something babe?" Puck asked Rachel as Finn took Quinn's large and detailed order.

"Nope, just you," she sighed against him. Puck just grinned and cracked open another beer.

"What the hell happened now?" Mike groaned drawing the attention of the rest of the group. He responded to their questioning glances by pointing across the pool to where Chief Hummel was approaching a wary looking Big John, Caleb and Will.

"Shit, I'll be right back Rach, c'mon guys we'd better go see what's up," Puck told the guys.

"Sorry to interrupt your night guys, but I've got a problem," Hummel said to the small crowd.

"Anything for one of LPD's finest," Jimmy responded sarcastically before being quelled by looks from many of the other guys.

"There's been a fire. Up at your cabin," Hummel continued before being cut off by questions from every direction. "One at a time!" he roared over the din.

"Now, from what I can tell it is basically a total loss. I really am sorry. By the time it was reported I think it had been raging for a while. The fire department is up there now and we have the arson inspector from County on his way in as well. The M.E. is on his way up too," Hummel said.

"Wait, why is the M.E. going? It was a fire and obviously we're all here," Puck asked.

"Yeah, that's the other thing. We found a body. It's charred pretty badly, but there was a truck parked in the woods a little further down, I've got a pretty good idea who it might be…" the chief trailed off.

"Well?" Big John prodded the other man.

"The Chevy belongs to Alex Langenthol," he told them.

"Shit, are you sure?" Finn asked as the other men looked at each other, connections forming in their minds.

"We won't know until the body had been positively ID'd," Hummel continued, "but based on the tire marks at the cabin and footprints we're pretty sure. One of my deputies is on his way to Langenthol's as we speak."

"Well it sounds like some of us should get up to the cabin," Big John started, glancing pointedly at Puck and Finn. "We'll end things here early. Thanks for letting us know Chief Hummel."

The two men nodded at each other and the Chief let himself out the side gate.

"Alright, what the hell is going on here? Obviously Karofsky has gotten in bed with Casey since Casey is the only one stupid enough to go after us directly and Alex is one of Dave's boys. Losing Langenthol probably wasn't in the cards, but why are they working together in the first place? Karofsky is a shark and Casey is a chump. What does he have to gain with that alliance other than drugs in Lima and us pissed off?" Big John pondered.

"Well for now someone needs to go and pay Karofsky a visit and someone else needs to head up to the cabin. Whadaya want us to do boss?" Caleb asked their leader.

"Puck, you and Finn head over to Dave's and have a little chat. I'll go up to the fire with Will, Caleb and Jimmy. Chang go home and get some rest you look like shit, man. Mike take the Prospect and head back to the club house, make sure nothing is up over there," he ordered.

"I really don't think Puck and Finn…" Will started to protest before being abruptly cut off by John.

"I've made my decision, the boys can handle themselves," Big John told the younger man. "Get some answers but don't be stupid," he instructed the boys before turning back towards the party.

* * *

Tina and Rachel chatted quietly but both were keeping an eye on the men by the barbeque. They jumped a little when they heard the outburst from the guys; obviously Chief Hummel was not delivering good news.

"Watching them isn't going to make it easier," Quinn told Rachel. "He'll tell you what he wants you to know, it isn't your place to question or intrude. That isn't how this works," she explained in a haughty tone.

"Shut up Quinn, she is allowed to be curious," Tina responded.

"Actually she isn't Tina, and you know that. Puck hasn't given us any indication that he trusts her or wants her in his business. Don't be naïve, it isn't a good look on you," she spat before turning back to Santana and Brittany.

"Don't listen to her, Puck will explain whatever is going on to you I'm sure," the Asian reassured the other brunette.

"It's okay Tina, really. We only met today, some secrets are to be expected," Rachel responded, brushing off Quinn's other comments.

"How is my grandbaby doing today?" a voice asked from behind Tina and Rachel. It's owner, a middle-aged woman came around their chair to stand behind Quinn.

"Hey Carole, the baby is good. Kinda uncomfortable but good. We have an OBGYN appointment tomorrow, Finn is excited to find out the sex as I'm sure he's told you," she smiled up at Carole.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me mom, Quinn?" the woman joked. "And yes, my son is quite excited about tomorrow. Who is your friend?" she asked, noticing Rachel for the first time.

"Carole, this is Rachel. Rachel, this is Finn's mom Carole. She is one of Ellie's best friends and owns a nightclub here in town," Brittany interjected.

"Nice to meet you Rachel, are you a friend of Tina's?" Carole asked.

"No, actually we just met. I came here with Puck," Rachel explained.

"Oh, I see," the older woman sputtered as Quinn barked out a laugh.

Rachel turned a deep shade of crimson as she realized what her statement probably implied to someone that knew Puck as well as Carole obviously did. "I'm not… I don't mean… we are not…" Rachel started.

"They just met today," Tina said with a reassuring hand on a flustered Rachel's arm. "Rachel is here from New York. Her dads died and she's here for the funeral, I assume. Get this Carole, she is on Broadway!" At Rachel's surprised look Tina shrugged her shoulders. "What do you expect? You met Artie, he's a cop and observant… and he recognized your face from a picture he saw at a function he went to at your dads'. I may be from Lima but I know how to use Google, 'Rachel Berry' brings back a lot of results."

Carole's eyes widened at the mention of Broadway. "Do you sing? I love New York. I'm really sorry about your fathers, dear. If you're going to be in town for a while you should consider stopping by the club for a show or two. We'd love to have you," the motherly woman said to Rachel.

"It would be nice to keep my voice in shape while I'm here Carole. Thank you for the invitation, I will definitely consider it!" she responded enthusiastically.

Moments later the boys were making their way back over with grim expressions and tense postures.

"We're going to have to cut this short ladies. Some club business has come up. Santana can you get a ride home from Quinn? Matt needs to head back to the shop. Rachel you should go with Tina, she can take you home and lend you some stuff and drop you off to get your car at the garage tomorrow. Let's go guys," Puck instructed the group.

Everyone stood and began to gather their things. Rachel looked at Puck and started to speak but stopped herself when she noticed the set of his jaw and the stormy look in his eyes. He looked over at her and flashed a smile that didn't cover his real feelings.

"I'm sorry about this baby, but you'll be fine with Tina, trust me," he reassured her with a quick hug and a chaste kiss on her lips.

Behind them Quinn was standing with her hands on her hips glaring at her husband. "What do you mean you don't know what time you'll be getting home? You are not going out to do anything stupid are you? We've talked about this Finn!" she bit out.

"Quinn you know I have to do things sometimes that I can't tell you about. I promise I'll be home later. Have San stay and watch a movie or something, you'll be fine!" he told her before turning back to Puck. "Let's do this man."

Quinn grabbed Santana's wrist and stormed off towards her car. Puck filed this spat away to talk to Finn about later.

* * *

"What the fuck is going on?!?" Quinn cried when Finn stumbled into their bedroom several hours later. His left eye was already turning black and blue and there was blood drying below his nose and the corner of his lips. She hurried out of bed and hauled him into the en-suite.

He sat down heavily on the closed toilet seat while his wife wet a towel and tilted his face up so she could get a better look.

"I knew you shouldn't have left with Puck," she admonished, gently wiping the blood from his visage.

"You don't know anything Quinn! What the hell is wrong with you lately? Stop busting my balls! I had important shit to do; it wasn't like I was at a strip club. Fuck woman!" he said, brushing her hand away and standing up.

Ignoring the shocked look on her face he grabbed the cloth from her and started the remove the blood himself using the mirror. "What?" he asked her reflection. "What do you want to yell at me about now?"

"I think you should tell Big John that you want to cut back on club stuff for a while," Quinn told him.

"Why would I do that?" Finn asked.

"For fucks' sake Finn! We're having a baby! I need you here, not out risking your life for the club! How do you not see this? How have you not volunteered for this already? Your **FAMILY** needs you" she yelled, stalking back into their bedroom.

"I get paid by the club Quinn! We make money when I do things for the club! You think my job at the shop and your part-time income from the hospital is going to buy diapers for this baby while paying our mortgage? I do what I do with my family and **FOR** my family, or have you forgotten?" he yelled back.

She huffed and crossed her arms against her chest, leveling her gaze at him and narrowing her eyes. "No, I have not **forgotten** anything they have done for you," she started.

"**US**," Finn interrupted.

"Fine, us," she agreed with an eye roll. "But that doesn't change the fact that your obligations have changed. When you leave I don't know what is going to happen, if you are going to end up in the hospital or in jail or worse dead. I'm not stupid, but sometimes I think you are. What am I supposed to do if one of those things happens?"

"I'm not going to die baby," he humored her. "Karofsky's guys got the jump on us tonight but it wasn't a big deal. We got out just fine and we saw Casey there so we have proof for Big John now. It wasn't a big deal, I promise."

"This time Finn! It wasn't a big deal THIS time, but what about the last time or ones still to come? Huh? What are you going to do when you are watching the baby and Big John tells you to go back Puck somewhere? Are you just going to hope the kid can fend for himself? You going to call me home from work to take care of him? Take him to the clubhouse! That's a brilliant idea! Caleb and Jimmy and watch him and teach him drinking games! Of course!" Quinn ranted.

"Wait! Back up! 'Him'? The baby is a boy?" Finn asked, staring reverently at her baby bump.

"Yeah, I was going to tell you at dinner tonight before our appointment tomorrow. One of the techs at work wanted to practice ultrasounds and I volunteered. Surprise, it's a boy. A boy that I am not going to raise myself! The MC is great and I know they are your brothers, but if something happens to you they are not the ones stuck being single parents, I AM!"

Finn exhaled loudly, looking down at his feet. "I don't know what I can tell you to make this better," he admitted.

"I need you to think about what you are doing and make a decision," she told him coolly. "I love you and your son and I need you. The club can wait," she said before rolling over on to her side, her back to Finn.

He took his shirt and pants off, getting into bed beside her but being careful not to touch her in case he set her off again. "I can make this work," he whispered before flicking off the bedside lamp.

'I'm not sure you can,' Quinn thought in the dark, brushing away silent tears. 'You and Puck both lost your fathers to the club. I'm just not sure you can.'

* * *

Puck woke up to noises in his kitchen. Lifting his sheets he noted that his boxers were still on. 'Obviously I didn't sleep with anyone last night, who the fuck is here at… 8:30am?' he wondered. Suddenly the events of the previous night returned to him. 'Right, Rachel!' After his and Finn's non-confrontation with Karofsky he had been angry and restless. Driving by Tina's Puck noticed lights still on and stopped by hoping Rachel was still awake, which she was, and he managed to talk her into coming home with him.

He gingerly got out of bed and looked around his room for pajama pants before deciding that this was his house and boxers would be fine and wandered towards the smell of coffee.

"Morning babe," he rumbled, his voice sending shivers down Rachel's spine as he hugged her from behind while she stood at the counter spooning sugar into a mug.

"Hey you," she grinned up at him. "Sleep well?" she asked, turning in his arms before gasping at the sight in front of her. "What happened?"

"I told you, things didn't go quite as we wanted last night. It isn't a big deal. Finn looks worse; guy needs to learn how to protect the face. It's like I've taught him nothing!" Puck joked, trying to deflect the remaining questions in her eyes and distract her from his bruised torso.

"Yeah, well Quinn can worry about Finn, I'm concerned about you. Sit down, let me get you some ice," Rachel ordered, pointing Puck towards a stool at the small breakfast bar and walking towards the freezer.

"I'm fine, really. A little sore, but it looks worse than it is. Seriously baby, just sit down and have some coffee," he cajoled.

"Don't cry to me later if it swells or whatever," Rachel huffed, turning from the refrigerator and moving to pour him a cup as well. "How do you take it?" she asked.

"Black, two sugars," he replied, taking in her attire for the first time.

She was wearing one of his old t-shirts from Bike Week in Laconia, New Hampshire several years ago. It was old and faded and fell to mid-thigh. When she turned though he swore he could see some panty.

"Stop checking me out and drink your coffee," she blushed at his obvious leer.

They continued to banter for a few minutes until both their heads turned at the sound of a key in the front door lock.

"Noah!" Ellianne's voice rang out. "I've got some groceries for you, please tell me you are actually out of bed," she yelled, carrying a paper bag into the kitchen before stopping short at the sight of her son and Rachel, barely clothed and at the kitchen counter. "Oh, you're here," she said with a look of thinly veiled disgust at Rachel.

Rachel hopped off the stool and kissed Puck on the cheek before setting her empty mug in the sink. "I think I'll go take a shower, you don't mind if I borrow a towel do you Puck? Good morning to you as well Ellianne," she trilled as she breezed out of the room and into the hallway.

"Sure babe, there's extra in the hall closet," he called after her, glaring at his mother.

Ellie crossed the kitchen and set the bag on the counter, silently putting things away while Puck looked on, a thunderous look on his face. When he heard the shower start up in the other room Puck decided to unleash his annoyance.

"What the fuck ma?" he roared. When she opened her mouth to respond he quickly started again. "First of all this is my house, a little notice would be nice. Second she is my company, and whether we did anything or not show her a little respect. I know you're a bitch, but calm the fuck down. She has done nothing to you so leave her the hell alone. And honestly? I don't want some lecture from you on my life. I'm 28, move on."

"Fine." Ellie responded.

"That's all you have to say? Fine?" Puck asked.

She sighed and turned to face him. "Yes, that is all I have to say. You're right, you are an adult, I don't have the right to lecture you on your choices anymore and I don't know Rachel at all so I'll lay off. Are you happy?"

"I'd be happier if you believed any of that," Puck replied with a snort.

"What do you want from me Noah? I'm your mother and it is my prerogative to worry about you and forgive me if I seem overbearing but your choices and taste in women since Janelle, hell since BEFORE Janelle, have been total shit," she cried.

"Whatever ma. Just let it go, alright? I like this girl and that hasn't happened for a long time. There is something about her. And no, I'm not just thinking with my dick. We have not slept together. I'm not even sure she's sticking around, so just stop," he told her in a resigned tone.

"Fine," she responded and fixed herself a cup of coffee as they heard the shower turn off.

"Be nice," Puck warned his mother who looked at him innocently over the rim of her coffee cup. "Right," he scoffed. "Listen I'm gonna to hop in the shower too, I'll be out in a moment."

He met Rachel as she was coming into the kitchen in her clothing from yesterday. "I'm gonna wash up, I'll be out in a moment and then I can take you to pick up your car, yeah?" he asked, taking her in his arms and kissing her forehead.

"Sure babe, sounds good. I'll just hang out with your mom until you're ready," she told him with a smile.

"Oh God, we're all going to die," he joked as she swatted at his retreating figure.

Rachel raised a single eyebrow in Ellie's direction before heading to look in the fridge for actual breakfast fare.

"Apparently I owe you an apology," Ellie started.

"Well don't say anything you don't actually mean. I'm a big girl, I can handle the mean girls on the playground just fine," Rachel told her from her spot crouched behind the open door.

"Retract the claws kitten," the older woman told her. "Fine, no apologies. Just try to see this from my point of view. Puck is Puck. He likes women and bikes and alcohol and his boys. You are Rachel Berry. Don't look so surprised honey, I know who you are. Anyway, you don't fit into his life and he doesn't fit into yours. In this family, you need trust and you need honestly and you two probably won't ever have that. You are way too different. I'm perfectly content to stand back and let this unravel on its own," Ellie told a gob-smacked Rachel. "Let Puck know I'll see him at work and don't worry, I'll see myself out."

When Puck emerged from the shower a few minutes later Rachel was standing at the sink staring absently out the window.

"What's the matter, babe," he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Just thinking about my plans for the day. I need to see my fathers' lawyer and take care of some things before the funeral tomorrow." She explained.

"I see. Where's my mom? You didn't kill her, did you?" he joked.

Rachel didn't smile at his attempt at humor, just continued staring ahead.

* * *

Burt Hummel groaned as he slid into the booth across from his son and signaled to the waitress to bring him a coffee.

"You look tired, Dad. The bags under your eyes are quite unsightly," Kurt told the older man while perusing the menu.

"Thanks son, good to see you this morning too," Burt replied before yawning and rubbing at his eyes.

Kurt took a good look at his father and sniffed the air. "Why do you smell like campfire? Were you up at The Reaper's cabin? Is it true they found a body?" he asked.

"Kurt I came here to eat with my son, not to play twenty questions and give you and Mercedes something to gossip about while you do each other's hair or whatever," Burt admonished his son, looking back down at the menu. "Thanks sweetheart," he said as a waitress filled his mug.

"You boys know what you want?" the woman asked.

The men placed their orders quickly and Kurt launched into a detailed explanation of the new costumes he was designing for a show at the nightclub where he worked. Burt zoned out and nodded whenever he saw an expectant look on his son's face.

"…so Carole told Mercedes that maybe she should consider doing something a little different because she thinks that people around here would be more receptive to a Carrie Underwood-vibe than to Mercedes' Jennifer Hudson-vibe and Mercedes threw a total diva fit. Emma tried to calm everyone down but Carole sneezed by her and she ran off the stage to disinfect herself. Anyway, I'm dying to be able to do a country-themed show but as Mercedes' BFF I need to take her side on this. Can I help you?" Kurt broke off, snapping Burt out of his stupor.

Chief Hummel turned in his seat to see a small, well dressed Indian man standing with a tall, imposing blond woman. Both were wearing dark suits and shades, holding out wallets indicating their status as agents with the FBI.

"Chief Hummel, I assume?" the woman asked. At his hesitant nod she continued, "I'm Agent Sylvester and this is my partner Agent Figgens. I'm going to have to ask you to dismiss your flamboyantly gay son because we," she started, gesturing between Burt and herself, "need to have a little chat."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I was hoping for a really quick turn-around on this, but as always real life had something different to say so I'm sorry for the crazy long wait. Thanks again for everyone who is still reading, you all are awesome! I appreciate all of your feedback and encouragement – and how cool is it that two of my personal favorite Puckelberry authors are now fans of my little story? Go me! Anyway, keep reading and reviewing… and enjoy my gift at the end of this chapter. Seriously, who knew that shit was so hard to write!

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 and/or my empty bank account.

* * *

Finn watched as Puck pulled into the lot and walked Rachel over to her car. They talked for a moment and Puck kissed her quickly before she settled into the driver's seat and pulled away. Finn brushed off their interaction for the time being; wanting to focus on what happened last night and what they were going to do about it.

"'Sup bro, your face looks like shit," Puck greeted with a sly grin.

"Probably looks better than the new asshole Quinn tore me when I got home last night," Finn replied.

Puck sauntered over to his locker and put on his coveralls. "Sorry man," Puck tossed over his shoulder. "You guys will work it out, you always do," he assured the taller man.

"Yeah, maybe," Finn muttered.

Puck clapped him on the shoulder and walked towards the bike they were both working on. "So we saw Casey last night but it isn't enough. Where do we go from here?"

"Dunno man, this reeks of too many different things. We can't really unravel it from any angle when we have no fucking clue who we're really dealing with," Finn stated.

Puck grunted in agreement. "I guess we'll need some more recon, exactly what I have no interest in wasting my time with right now. We'll hit up Anton Crawley and his boys, see if someone has been looking around for some muscle. Maybe head over to Azimio in Bluffton. He'll know about anyone dealing between Akron and Dayton and can probably give intel on the pipeline for the right price."

"Okay. We'll grab Matt and Prospect and head out this afternoon, Quinn's OBGYN appointment got moved to tomorrow," Finn agreed. "We could really use Mike but I don't think Britt is letting him out of her sight at this point."

"Women are scary when they want to protect their men, you would know bro," Puck replied. "Speaking of scary women," he started, seeing his sister walk into the shop from the office and sighing.

"So bro, didn't get to meet your new piece of ass last night… should I even bother? Mom already hates her and she probably doesn't have two brain cells to rub together but you've never really been about the intelligent ones," Sarah laughed as she lifted herself to sit on a work bench and idly played with a socket wrench. Her boyfriend snickered from where he was working under the hood of a Toyota Corolla nearby but quickly covered it with a cough at the glare Puck sent him.

"Aww sis, you seem bitchier than usual today. On the rag or is Prospect just not satisfying you?" Puck growled back at her.

Finn shook his head at them both, used to their constant barbs and bickering. "Enough you two. Seriously man, what the fuck is with you and Rachel. I mean, fucking around is one thing, but you brought her to the thing last night. You thinkin' seriously about her? It's been, like, a day."

"Fuck off man. You don't know shit, been with the same person since elementary school. No one does that. Not that you'd be my first pick to lecture me on relationships with the way Quinn's been up your ass lately," Puck retorted.

"She has her reasons. She's about to become a mother and she's stressed about all this shit with the club, cut her some fucking slack," his friend shot back.

Sarah snorted from her perch. "Like you would know anything about the pressures of family and becoming a parent, douche. Leave Finn alone," she instructed her brother flippantly.

Puck's face briefly contorted in pain before a mask of anger replaced it. "Fuck you Sarah. Fuck you," he spat, throwing down his tools and stalking out of the garage.

"What the fuck, Sarah?" Finn yelled at the girl before starting after Puck.

She was already in motion, running after her brother. "Puck! Puck! You know I did not mean it like that! C'mon Puck! Noah!" she yelled, catching up to him and grabbing his arm.

Puck whipped around to face her, knocking his hand away and pushing her back. "Don't fucking come near me right now Sarah. Leave me the fuck alone," he said in a menacing tone.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa Puck, she didn't mean anything," the Prospect said, putting himself between the siblings and moving Sarah behind him.

Puck chuckled grimly at the move. "Relax Prospect, I don't hit women, even bitches that deserve it. Though she's probably lucky right now she's family. I might be willing to make exceptions." With that he turned again and jumped on his bike and peeled out of the lot.

"Shit," Finn murmured. "Thanks for that Sarah, as always you were a real fucking help," he told her as he turned back to the garage, leaving her to stare at her brother's wake.

* * *

Tina absently stirred her coffee and ignored the din of the diner and her lunch companions as she focused on her own inner monologue. After Rachel had left the night before Artie had called her unexpectedly. She knew that he was aware of her issue and that it was why he let Mike off with nothing more than a warning. He seemed normal on the phone though, not that the two had talked a ton since leaving high school, but she didn't note anything pitying in his tone. Tina may not have been a full member of the MC but her allegiance was obvious and it usually precluded her from intermingling from members of law enforcement. They had become close when he was in St. Rita's in the aftermath of his shooting and she had secretly hoped something would come of it, but nothing had and she knew that he was in a bad place then and it wasn't the time. 'Now though… what would be standing in our way now?' she wondered.

"…seriously. First thing this morning. I know I had last night off and all but bitch please. I need to keep my voice well rested, if anyone should know this it's Carole. And honestly? Waking me up to tell me she met someone she wants to bring in for some guest shows, to move in on MY job? Not cool," Mercedes was telling a very interested Kurt on the bench across from her.

Kurt nodded in agreement with his friend as Mercedes paused her bitching to attack her meal. "I'm sure it's nothing darling. Carole knows that you are the star, so she wants to bring someone else in, she can't possibly be as talented as you. I give it one show," Kurt placated the diva. "Right Tina?"

"Huh? What?" the Asian girl asked, snapping out of her thoughts and back to the conversation in front of her.

"Tell Mercedes she has nothing to fear from whoever this new act is Carole has found," Kurt snapped at her.

"Carole found a new act? Do you mean Rachel?" Tina asked.

Kurt and Mercedes heads both shot up and their gazes pierced the girl who now felt slightly alarmed.

"You know her? This Rachel Berry?"

Tina nodded at the pair. "Yeah, I met her last night. She's really cool; I think you would both like her a lot. She has been on Broadway. Recently was playing Mimi in RENT but is on hiatus for a while. Amazing singer," she said, settling back against the booth seat and sipping her coffee.

Her two friends looked at each other in shock for a few beats before turning back to her. 'Oh shit, here we go,' Tina groaned internally.

"What do you mean you met her?"

"Where?"

"Why is she in Lima?"

"What is she like?"

"Did you actually hear her sing?"

"Is she as much of a bitch as I bet she is?"

"Ugh, how could you do this to us?"

Tina rolled her eyes at their rapid fire questioning and opted to stay quiet until they were done. 'Am I a bad person if I kind of hope Rachel wipes the stage floor with Mercedes? These two sometimes, I swear to God, test my patience eight ways from Sunday. You would think I just told them that I was moving to Siberia. Or worse, that Liza Minnelli died.'

"Why are you smiling?" Kurt shrieked at last.

Chuckling lightly Tina continued to sip her drink, looking at the pair of divas over the rim of the mug.

"Well?" Mercedes urged.

"I met her last night at the barbeque with Mike and Brittany. She was there with Puck. Artie had met her when she and Puck were at the station and he gave me a heads up on who she was." Tina finally told them. "She ended up coming back to my place for a while last night. She is really nice. Seriously, I think you should give her a chance… and I doubt she wants your job, I'm pretty sure she's very well off, it would be a demotion for her at this point in her career."

Kurt seemed pleased with this assessment though still put out that Tina knew all this before he did. Mercedes, on the other hand, was more annoyed than before.

"She was there with Puck? You mean I'm going to lose shows to some whore of his? Are you kidding me? Fucking Reapers, think they own this town. It was his idea wasn't it? Anything Prince Puck wants he gets… and Carole is so far up their asses she just gives it to them. Ugh. Fucking ridiculous. They are all criminals anyway, this town would be so much better off without them."

Kurt's jaw dropped at the end of Mercedes' rant and he looked back and forth between his friends anticipating a bloodbath.

"Are. You. Kidding. Me?" Tina hissed. "Lima would be better off without them? Really? You do realize that when the tank plant almost lost their contract for producing M1 Abrams a few years ago it was the MC that lobbied hard and worked with Governor Taft and now Governor Strickland to keep the contract here and keep the plant open. It saved hundreds of jobs. And you don't see Procter and Gamble leaving town for greener pastures for their plant? No. Why? Because Lima employees are reliable and drug-free thanks to the efforts of the Reapers in keeping this community safe. You think Hummel could keep drugs out? No offense Kurt." The smaller boy shrugged and motioned for her to continue, leaving him out of it. "Not to mention most of the guys who work at the refinery get their start working for Big John at the garage while they go to school or learn their trade. The club does charity runs and organizes blood drives for St. Rita's all the time. I've never seen you donate blood Mercedes. Do you think if you were in critical need you'd deny the transfusion because it comes from a bunch of hoodlums on motorcycles? Probably not. At least they care enough to donate in the first place. And finally, without The Reapers your precious club wouldn't exist at all. They have been giving Carole money and free muscle for years to help keep her afloat. Think about that next time you cash your pay cheque. Bitch."

Mercedes raised a single eyebrow in response to Tina's diatribe and set her jaw stubbornly. "Listen, I know that you are all tied up in them, but seriously that should make it even more obvious to you. They are dangerous! Look at your brother! You had to bail him out of jail yesterday!"

"Yeah, because he was protecting her and looking out for her," a new voice chimed in.

The trio turned to look at the interloper.

"Hey Artie," Tina blushed.

"Thank God, maybe he can break this up before it becomes a full on bitch fight," Kurt muttered.

"Mercedes you have no idea what you are talking about. Mike would have ended up in jail no matter what yesterday. He was being a good big brother and defending Tina it had little to do with the Reapers. I would have done the same in his shoes. I've never had a problem with him or most of the other Reapers. They are just guys who have their own code and like motorcycles. The LPD usually has bigger issues to worry about than outlaw bikers. Believe me." Artie admonished while internally berating himself for the lies. He thought it was worth it however at the smile that lit up Tina's face.

"Ugh! You are all so blind!" the black girl exclaimed, tossing a twenty on the table and storming out.

Kurt shook his head and looked at the other two. "I'll go see if I can calm her down. Sorry about everything Tina, you know I don't feel that way about Mike or the club."

"I know Kurt, don't worry about it. I'll see you later, yeah?"

He smiled at Tina, "Of course darling! Ciao! Bye Artie, say hi to my dad for me!"

Artie turned and smiled at Tina, wheeling closer to the table. "Well, that looked like fun."

Tina snorted in amusement. "Absolutely. Fun is definitely what I would call it," she agreed. "What are you up to this afternoon Officer?"

"Chief Hummel has me cataloging items from the fire. Once you've numbered the hundredth charred-beyond-recognition-thing your vision starts to go a little blurry. I really needed to get out of there for a while. Is it twisted that I see all these burnt things and smell fire and now really crave s'mores?" Artie groaned.

Tina giggled. "I won't tell Puck that the guy's loss is giving you a hankering for your Boy Scout days, don't worry."

"Thanks darlin'," Artie drawled. "So…"

"Yes?"

"Uhh, I was wondering if you were up to anything tonight? Maybe we could go get dinner?" he asked her.

"Yes! I mean, wait. Shit. I'm supposed to be having dinner with Rachel tonight. I could probably cancel on her though. I doubt she'd mind if Puck is around to entertain her." Tina rambled.

Artie laughed at her eagerness. "Don't worry about it. Go to dinner with Rachel and meet me for drinks later? At the lounge? Unless you are looking to avoid Mercedes and Kurt…"

"That sounds great!" she agreed. "Shit, I need to be getting back to the hospital. Call me later and we can set up a time?"

"Great! It's a date," Artie smiled up at her.

Tina beamed down at him before ducking down to kiss his cheek and running out of the diner.

* * *

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Rachel. Your fathers were some of the best men I had the pleasure of knowing and working for," the white-haired gentleman told her. "As their only daughter you were listed as their sole beneficiary in the event something such as this happened. Their wills are both very straight-forward and their funeral requests are all being complied with. The graveside service will take place tomorrow at two o'clock. There is a small snag, however."

"What do you mean? Is there something wrong? Is everything okay at the cemetery? They already owned their own plots! Is it something that still needs to be paid for? I assure you that if it just concerns disbursal of funds to any household staff or whatever I can cover those from my personal accounts. I would like some of them to stay on as I plan to take a bit of a break here in Lima – I'll be here at least a few weeks," Rachel cut in.

"No, no dear. It is nothing like that, and I am sure that some of the staff will be happy to hear they can stay on for a while longer," the solicitor replied. "This is unfortunately of a more sensitive nature," he hedged.

"Well what is it?" Rachel demanded.

The older man removed a cloth from his inner coat pocket and wiped at his brow as he began. "Well, you see, there is a recent and rather unpleasant legal development and unfortunately one of your fathers was involved. As such their assets are currently frozen."

Rachel gaped at him. "What do you mean? My fathers were in trouble?"

Her question went unanswered as the door to the lawyer's office abruptly opened, admitting Agents Figgens and Sylvester.

"Good afternoon, Frank," Agent Sylvester started. "I trust you've told Barbara here what's going on?"

Frank sputtered from his position behind his desk. "This is a closed meeting, Agent, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Rachel cut off her lawyer before he could escort them from the office. "My name is Rachel, not Barbara. Who the hell are you? What would you know about what I need to be told? Frank what is going on?"

"Sorry, I just saw your nose and assumed who you were. I'm Agent Sylvester, this is my partner Figgens. We're here because I love watching people get bad news. Seriously, we're not too late are we? Can I go make some popcorn first?" the tall woman mocked.

"Sue, shut up," her partner drawled in a bored tone. "Let the man explain."

"Well you see Rachel…" the lawyer started again before trailing off once more.

"Ugh. Men, such wimps. You think breaking bad news is hard? Try parachuting into the desert in the dead of night to prevent a military coup in a country no one cares about a week after you've had a kidney removed. That's hard," Agent Sylvester scoffed and then turned to Rachel and continued speaking. "Three days ago, five hours before your fathers' accident, a grand jury handed down 18 indictments including several against your late father, excuse me I believe you call this one 'daddy', Hiram Berry. Basically Rachel, your daddy was a bad person, and we are determined to get the truth, which means you help us or we consider you a bad person too," Agent Sylvester explained in a low, menacing tone while pacing behind Rachel's chair.

Rachel frowned at this. "I don't understand. My fathers were great men. Dad is, was, a VP of Engineering for Huskey Petroleum and oversaw the refinery. Daddy was a real estate developer. What could they possibly have been involved in? It wasn't like they needed money and they would never knowingly participate in something illegal. You must be mistaken," she rationalized.

"Ms. Berry," Agent Figgens addressed her, "I understand this might be a lot to take in, but I assure you that the claims are true. David Berry has been cleared of any wrongdoing and involvement by our investigation but Hiram is another story. What we are trying to discover is if he was a willing participant or if he was being blackmailed. Have you ever met a Dave Karofsky Sr.?"

Rachel stared up at him from her chair. "Sure, Mr. Karofsky is known by a lot of people around here. He ran for mayor I heard a few years ago. I've been gone for a while, but I think I saw him a few times at our place when I was in high school. Usually at cocktail parties and fundraisers. Why?"

"So he was a friend of your dads?"

"I'm not sure. An acquaintance sure, but they never really mentioned him. I'm sure Daddy did some business with him, I mean, he owns a lot of property doesn't he?" she asked.

Figgens sighed and looked at his partner who was glowering at Rachel. "Sue, I don't think we're going to get anything here."

"If you'd let me water-board her like I wanted to from the beginning I'm sure we could get something!" Agent Sylvester shouted.

"Ms. Berry, if you remember anything about your dads or Mr. Karofsky that you think might help us please let me know. Here is my card. I'm very sorry for your loss and someone will be in touch about unfreezing your fathers' assets," Agent Figgens told the shocked girl. "Come on Sue, let's get back to the station."

Agent Sylvester glared at the occupants of the room before sweeping out the door, Figgens following in her wake.

"What the hell is going on here!" Rachel yelled at the lawyer sitting numbly at his desk. "I want some answers!"

"I don't have any for you, Rachel," the old man told her tiredly. "You basically know as much as I do. Hiram was in some financial trouble, but not anything too serious. I had not been approached about any bad deals he was involved in and did not know about the indictments until they were handed down. It will be impossible for anything to happen now that he is dead though. I think you need to just put this behind you. Whatever secrets your daddy had he took to the grave. Go home and rest, I'll see you at the funeral tomorrow."

* * *

Puck sat on the couch in his living room, his coveralls were in a heap in the corner, the blinds were closed and the room was mostly shadows. A single glass and a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label were on the coffee table in front of him. He leaned forward and, ignoring the glass, took a long pull off the bottle.

"I'm more of a bourbon girl myself, but scotch works too," Rachel's voice came from the doorway.

Puck took another swig and looked up at her. "What are you doing here, Rach? I thought you had shit to do all day."

She walked towards the couch, tossing her keys in the corner with her bag and setting a bottle of Jim Beam down on the table as she moved past it. Rachel sat down next to Puck and it was then that he noticed her bottle was a quarter empty. "I stopped by the shop, Finn said that you left this morning. Something about your sister. What happened?"

"Nothing," he grunted. "Why are you drinking at two o'clock in the afternoon?"

"Nothing, just felt like it," she replied.

"Bullshit," Puck responded. "Girls like you don't get shitfaced in the middle of the afternoon for no reason. Seriously, what's up? I don't talk about feelings, so take this opportunity 'cuz you'll probably never get it again."

"Oh yeah, because you're such a badass," Rachel scoffed. "I don't want to talk about it, so let's just not."

"Fine by me," he sighed and continued to drink out of his bottle, staring straight ahead.

Rachel leaned back, taking her Jim Beam with her and drank in silence for a while. The two brooding next to each other. Finally Puck broke the silence.

"Wanna fuck?"

Rachel turned to face him, a small smirk playing at her lips, and launched herself at him.

Their lips fused together and he hauled her into his lap, grinding his pelvis into hers and tangling a hand in her hair. She angled her hips differently and moaned at the increased friction, tossing her head back as Puck kissed along her jaw line and down her neck. Rachel continued to rub rhythmically against the hardness evident through his jeans and placed her hand against the back of his head; forcibly dragging his lips back to hers.

"Bedroom?" she breathed.

"Later."

"Ungh," was all she could get out when his lips hit the pulse point at the base of her neck.

Grinning at her response he gently bit down before soothing the mark with his tongue. His movement caused her to jerk and claw at his back over his shirt.

Noah's hands moved from her ass up her back under her top. Pulling away from his ministrations to her neck he tugged the thin fabric over her torso and head, leaning back to take her in.

"Beautiful," he whispered and sought out her lips once more, groaning into her mouth as she played with the short hairs at the base of his skull. He pulled her closer, hands roaming her exposed skin before deftly unclasping her bra. She shrugged the straps down her shoulders and peeled it off without breaking contact between their mouths.

His calloused hands immediately found her breasts and he relished the weight of them as he teased her nipples with his thumbs. Rachel gasped at the sensation and tugged at the bottom of his t-shirt, pulling it up and over his head. She took a moment to study his toned chest but threw her head back once more when his mouth found one of her taught nipples.

He flicked it with his tongue before pulling back and blowing on it lightly. She shivered at the sensation and her eyes darkened visibly. He took the other puckered bud into his mouth, laving it and teasing the other one with thumb.

"I need you inside me, stop teasing," Rachel moaned into his ear.

Puck growled at her words and pulled back roughly. "Whatever the lady wants."

Moving his hands to her ass once more he stood abruptly. Rachel squeaked and wrapped her legs around him. He shifted her weight and held her against him with one arm, reaching down with the other to undo the fly on his jeans. Rachel was eager to help him along and used one of her feet to push his pants and boxers down his thighs, her mouth attached to his neck.

Noah hissed as the fabric moved over his erection. He carefully stepped out of the leg holes and kicked the pile to the side. Turning and moving his mouth back to Rachel's he kneeled down, setting her gently on the couch and making quick work of her own jeans and panties.

"You're soaked for me babe," he growled, running a single finger up her glistening slit.

"Ahhh!" she cried out at the contact, lifting her hips involuntarily, begging for more. "Please Noah, please!"

Puck took a nipple in his mouth once again and roughly plunged two fingers into her, carefully pumping them in and out, curling them up on each down stroke, hitting that spot deep inside. Rachel continued her litany of moans and Noah's name, pumping her pelvis in time with his motions.

He grinned wickedly from his position at her breast before brushing his thumb over her clit, enjoying the look of ecstasy on her face.

"No," she moaned, clenching her thighs to prevent his hand from moving and bringing his face up to meet hers. "I want your cock inside me when I come. Fuck me Noah, get on with it."

"Fuck babe, I could cum just listening to you," he told her, reaching over their heads and rummaging around in a drawer in the end table.

"Noah!" Rachel cried, "What are you waiting for?"

He pulled his hand back with a triumphant smile, a small gold packet in his hand. "No glove, no love sweetheart."

Rachel grabbed the condom from him, ripping it open with her teeth and moving her hand to put it on him. He couldn't stifle the low moan that escaped as she finally touched his engorged cock. Now it was her turn to grin up at him wickedly, pumping him a few times.

"Shit Rach, you can't do that or this will be over too soon," he told her.

He grabbed both her hands and pinned them over her head, ignoring her pout. "I can think of better ways for me to lose it." And with a twist of his hips he plunged into her, both gasping at the sensation.

"Fuck! So tight! You're lucky I'm not a teenager."

"Ohh Noah, so full!"

He shifted his hips experimentally before settling into a slow, shallow rhythm punctuated by low moans and cries.

"Harder, Noah. I need it faster!"

Moving his arms around her waist he lifted her up, moving so she was now on top of him. Rachel grunted in pleasure at the new position, eyes rolling back as he settled deeper than before. She clenched her inner muscles, gripping his length as he used hands to guide her hips and their motion on top of him.

"Mmm yeah babe, take what you want," he drawled.

She plunged herself down on him, swiveling her hips at the base, gasping at the friction against her clit, increasing the speed of her movements. Puck watched her tits bounce in wild abandon, moving a hand down between their bodies to rub at her nub.

Rachel let out a low keen at this new, additional sensation. It only took two more thrusts before her walls clamped down around him. He tried to hold it together longer and ride out her orgasm but it was too much. Tweaking her nipple one last time he followed her over the edge, emptying himself into the condom.

Moments later they were still tangled together, bodies covered in perspiration and chests heaving.

"Well, that was fun," Rachel groaned as she carefully moved off him, hissing as he pulled out of her. "How long until round two?"

"I like the way you think babe," Puck told her before standing and hauling her against him. He kissed her deeply and dragged her towards the bedroom, Rachel giggling at his eagerness behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I am so sorry everyone. I had the most ridiculous case of writers block… the whole story is outlined but it was like none of the characters were feeling right and I had tons of plot bunnies in my head for other stories… all Puck and Rachel which is great, but none of them for this which sucked. Add to that my crazy work schedule and everything else things got away from me very quickly. To those still reading thank you so much for all your support; your reviews and story alerts and the like mean a lot to me! Also this was not even a little beta'd so yeah, there are mistakes. A bunch of 'em. Sorry.

Disclaimer: See previous.

"ARGH! Fucking voice mail again," Tina muttered, looking down at her phone in annoyance for the sixth time in last half hour. "Are you kidding me?"

She flopped back on the couch wondering what she should do. Rachel was supposed to meet her for dinner twenty minutes ago and she was having no luck getting in touch with the brunette. Sighing in resignation Tina decided to head next door to see if Brittany had some leftovers she could steal. She could check on Mike while she was there. Grabbing her keys and heading out the door she walked around the fence that divided their properties and briefly thought that she and Brit should get her brother to do some landscaping for them while he was on leave from the shop. The gardens were a mess and it was the least he could do really.

"Knock knock," Tina called, letting herself in the back door to the kitchen. "Where is everyone?"

"In here Tina!" Brittany's voice called out.

Spying a casserole dish of shepherd's pie still out on the counter Tina grabbed a plate out of the cupboard and proceeded to give herself a good helping. After finding a clean fork in the dishwasher she followed the noise of the TV to the living room where her brother and his fiancée were curled up on the couch, empty bowls on the coffee table in front of them.

"'sup sis?" Mike drawled, removing his hand from Brittany's to grab his beer and take a long pull.

"Should you be drinking on your pain meds?" she asked as she settled into her favorite overstuffed recliner. "Never mind," she muttered at his smirk and raised eyebrow, "forgot who I was talking to for a moment."

Brittany giggled from her spot on the couch, grinning as the siblings glared at each other.

"Why are you here? And yes, help yourself to some food T," Mike continued. "I thought you were having dinner with Puck's new chick tonight?"

"Her name is Rachel dumbass, as you well know. Show some respect, she isn't some whore. I was gonna eat with her but I can't get her to pick up her cell and I am not about to just show up at Puck's looking for her. And I will help myself to the food. Brittany bought it and cooked it, if she wasn't just gonna make me take some home anyway I wouldn't have touched it, dick," Tina snarled before shoving a spoonful of the pie into her mouth. "Great dinner, B. Thanks!" she said while still chewing.

Brittany smiled at her friend again before frowning as she remembered something. "I don't think Rachel had a very good day. She met with her dads' lawyer this afternoon and two FBI agents walked in on the meeting. Shannon, his secretary, was telling me all about it when we were waiting for the elevator after work. Shannon was saying that one of the Mr. Berrys was in trouble or something over land and the FBI was investigating. She is the worst secretary ever, I would never divulge information about a client like that, even if the gossip was juicy," she added as an afterthought.

"The FBI!" Mike exclaimed. "Are you shitting me? Puck'll go nuts, I gotta tell him, like right now. She can't be near him or the club if the Feds are snooping around on her. We've got enough of our own shit to deal with. Seriously T, what the fuck? I think this girl is trouble."

Tina glared at her brother before standing and stalking into the kitchen to rinse her dishes. Brittany sighed and followed her, clearing the coffee table and shooting a look at Mike on her way out of the room.

"I'm sure everything is fine T," the blond said, coming up behind her future sister-in-law at the sink. "Rachel seems like a nice girl, I doubt she is involved, but I'm sure it was a lot to take in and she's probably just blowing off steam somewhere with Puck. They'll figure it out. And Mike is an ass, you know that. He'll get over it."

Tina turned and shot a weak grin at Brittany. She scowled again when she spotted Mike loitering in the doorway.

"Listen T, I'm sure she is a nice girl and I know you've become friends quickly'n all, but I need to look out for Puck and the MC and we can't have the FBI on us right now. I'll back off and leave it alone as long as you make sure she tells Puck. Okay?" he asked, making his way all the way into the room.

"It's her life, I'm not about to make her share it if she doesn't want to. Besides, we shouldn't know in the first place!" Tina retorted.

Mike crossed his arms and leant against the counter, leveling his sister with a serious look. "Look, Rach is from Lima. She knows who we are and what we are about even if she isn't part of our world. If she cares even a little about Puck she would want him to know. She would understand why this is important. Puck can make his own decisions and the more we know the more we can protect both of them, alright?"

Brittany nodded slightly in agreement and Tina sighed knowing she had to speak to Rachel.

"Fine," she bit out, "but I'm not happy at all."

"Yeah T, I know, it's pretty obvious," Mike responded to her glower.

Brittany looked between the two and attempted to change the subject. "Tina, you wanna watch a movie with Mike and me? I could use another girl… maybe then I wouldn't be stuck watching one of the Rocky movies. Or have sit here listening to him mock Easy Rider again."

"Sorry B," Tina replied. "I've got a date tonight."

The blonde's face lit up with a grin. "With whom?" she squealed.

"Uhhh…" the Asian stalled, glancing at her brother. "Artie."

"Oh my gosh that is fantastic!"

"Are you kidding me Tina, a fucking cop?"

The couples' raised voices rang out simultaneously before they stopped and glared at each other.

"You cannot possibly be in favor of this B! He's a cop! C'mon!" Mike exclaimed. "What the hell is wrong with you lately Tina?"

Tina just shook her head and walked towards the door. "I thought you would want to see me happy Mike, and Artie makes me happy. I have liked him for a very long time and never did anything about it because I was scared of your reaction. I'm tired of being scared. He might be a cop but you know he would go out of his way to protect any of you and he has! Look at your most recent arrest! I am your sister and a friend of the MC, but I'm not a member and they are not my life. You need to accept that I am an adult, not a little girl, and I make my own choices. Tonight may only be our first date, but I think there is a future. Don't make me choose between you and Artie. I don't think you would like the outcome of that decision."

She saw Brittany moving towards Mike as she turned and quietly shut the door behind her. "You've gotta trust her Michael. She is your sister, she is very smart and she loves you. Don't screw this up for her," was the last Tina heard before heading back to her house to get ready.

* * *

"Babe I think you missed some calls," Puck told the naked woman in his bed as he came into the room and tossed her BlackBerry at her.

Rachel glanced at the bedside clock before scooping up her phone. "Shit, I was supposed to meet Tina for dinner hours ago. I hope she isn't too upset," she told Puck, quickly typing an apology to her friend and putting the phone on the nightstand.

Rolling over she rested her head on Puck's shoulder, tracing her hand over his chest and the tattoos there. "So… that was fun," Rachel drawled, looking up at him from under her lashes.

Puck grinned at her and caught her lips in a passionate kiss before settling her back against his side. "Fuck yeah, you're a wildcat babe," he growled while leering at her.

"I'll tell you why my day sucked if you tell me about yours. I know I didn't intend to get drunk and relieve stress with sex when I woke up this morning," Rachel laughed. "So what's your excuse?"

"Family," Puck responded bluntly. "My sister inherited my mom's massive bitch gene and I couldn't take her shit today."

Rachel kept moving her fingertip over the "Eli" tattooed over Puck's heart. "Seems like a pretty intense response to sibling ribbing."

"She struck a nerve; it happens," he replied, "what about you?"

She sighed and snuggled in closer to his side. "Just dealing with my father's estate. With the will and the house and the funeral tomorrow it just became too much for me," she lied.

"You were pretty pissed off when I got home. Is that your normal reaction to being sad and overwhelmed?" Puck asked, thinking she was leaving something out.

"Everyone reacts to grief in different ways Noah," she responded.

Puck hugged her tighter, thinking to himself that she still wasn't letting him in on everything. 'Who am I to judge, not like I told her everything, right?'

"I was thinking. If you wanted, I could go with you to the funeral tomorrow. Offer you some support or whatever," he mumbled against her neck, placing gentle kisses there.

Rachel tensed and looked up at him abruptly. "Thanks for the offer, but I think under the circumstances it might not be for the best. Really, I mean, thank you, but…"

"But what babe? You don't want me there, fine. But what's this bullshit about circumstances? I'm not ashamed of who I am and I have better shit to do with my time then fuck chicks who are embarrassed by me," he bit out while rolling off the bed and looking for some boxers. "Fuckin' bullshit."

"What? Noah no, that isn't it at all. I could give a shit that you are covered in tattoos and like Harleys. I'm stressed and emotional and I just want to concentrate on the funeral and saying goodbye and getting through the next few days. Calm down, not everything is about you," she spat.

"C'mon babe, we both know it is more than that…" Puck started before a swift glare from Rachel cut him off. "Fine, whatever darlin'," He bit out before hauling himself out of bed and rooting around on the floor for a t-shirt and his boxers. "Lemme know when you take the stick out of your ass."

"Ugh!" Rachel groaned, falling back against the mattress and pulling a pillow over her head, muffling her continued groans of annoyance.

Puck walked around the bed and she felt the bed dip as he sat down next to her. Rachel removed the pillow and stared up at him.

"Listen, seriously, I'm there for you and all but I don't like secrets and I just feel like you are keeping something from me. I don't care what it is, you'll tell me when you tell me, but I just want you to know that I've got your back. Okay?" he finished, arching an eyebrow in her direction.

Rachel pushed aside the growing guilt in her stomach and gave him her best sex kitten look in response. "Good to know you've got my back, but since you seem to have me on my back right now let's not waste the opportunity, hmm?"

Puck smirked down at her before moving his body over hers, groaning as she ripped his shirt off and prepared for round three. He carefully ignored the voice inside his head telling him not to get too used to this.

* * *

"Look a little JBF much, Tina?" Santana snarked to the Asian girl as she slip into the booth next to Quinn.

Tina hadn't meant to blush, years with these girls and the MC, not to mention work comforting patients and families at the hospital, had taught her how to school her emotions well. All that training seemed to be failing her now; she was already flustered enough when she realized she was late to her weekly breakfast at the local diner with the girls.

"Shut up San," she responded to the Latina, looking down at her menu in hopes the hawkish girl would move on quickly to her next victim.

"What's JBF?" Brittany wondered aloud.

"Just been fucked," all three girls responded in unison to their blonde friend.

Brittany paused for a moment before blinking owlishly at her future sister-in-law. Quinn and Santana continued perusing their menus.

"I suppose that is possible, how did your date go last night?" Britt nonchalantly asked the embarrassed girl across from her.

Tina didn't look up from her menu but felt the other two ladies level their gazes on her head, thoughts of food and pregnancy cravings completely forgotten.

"Date?" Quinn purred.

"I think someone has been holding out on us…" Santana sing-songed.

"How can she be holding out if she was just fucked?" Brittany cluelessly chimed in.

Tina dared to glance up from the table and look at her friends. Brittany looked like her usual lost self but the other two looked positively predatory. 'Fuck. My. Life.' she thought, silently steeling herself to face the oncoming inquisition and remembering why she hated being the only single one in the group, especially with her track record. 'Time to face the music, this is going to go so well…'

Arching an eyebrow in Santana's direction, silently daring the other girl to start something she waited for the onslaught.

"Who is the guy T?" Quinn asked, looking back at her menu while stealing glances at her seat-mate, currently still involved in a battle of wills with Santana.

Britt giggled before answering for her friend. "Artie!" she squealed. "Duh!"

"I'm sorry, what? I could have just sworn that I heard you went on a date with a member of the police. That couldn't be right though, even if he is considered a 'friend', because you know better than that. Who was it really?" Quinn asked, a sharp edge underlying her friendly, curious tone as she continued to focus on her menu.

Santana's face had changed from surprise to a curious mix of anger, disbelief and a little bit of awe.

"You heard correctly," Tina replied, calmly and evenly as she too looked back at her menu. He body had stiffened defensively however and she gripped the book with white knuckles.

"Are you freaking kidding me T? First of all, what about Puck? Secondly the _police_? Are you fucking insane? What does Mike have to say about all of this?" Santana immediately exploded.

Tina carefully lowered her menu to the table, resting her clasped hands on top of it before addressing the irate girl across from her. "First of all, what about Puck? What the hell does he have to do with anything? Secondly yes, I am aware of Artie's profession. We all are, we have known him since kindergarten and he has been a friend of ours just as long. He is a good man, whether you like what he does or not. No, I am not insane, in fact this has been a long time coming, don't you think? And Mike has said his piece and I'll tell you the same thing I told him. I love you all but the club does not own me. I make my own decisions and don't ask me to choose between him and all of you. I'm not sure you'll like my choice."

Just as she finished a young waitress appeared to take their orders. Brittany started to speak but Quinn glared at her and shook her head, leveling the server with a look that clearly told her to come back when the frosty atmosphere dissipated somewhat.

"Listen chica," Santana started, eyes blazing, "sometimes we have to make sacrifices for our family…"

"Yeah San," Tina interrupted, "you would know all about familial sacrifices for the club. Pablo is dead and your papi is doing how many years now? I don't want that kind of life! I love you all but I don't want to live with constant threats over my head! I like Artie and I have for a really long time. Puck and I will never be together and I'm not cut out to be an old lady, all right? I don't want to lose all of you, but seriously, I'll bring it to Big John if I have to but you guys are supposed to be my friends too… would some support or the benefit of the doubt be too much to ask?"

"Let's just calm down," Quinn said after Tina finished her tirade. "Tina, this is just a huge shock for us. We love you, you are our sister and we trust you. You have to see this from our side, it just feels like a betrayal. I'm sorry if we cannot be supportive right away but this is a man whose job it is to work against everything we live for. We'll try, but we need time, okay? And San, shut up. She kind of has a point."

"Ugh, whatever Quinn. Pregnancy is making you soft," Santana pouted, picking up her menu but not before sending one last glare in Tina's direction.

Quinn rolled her eyes at the Latina and went back to her own menu. Brittany smiled reassuringly at Tina before staring off into space again. It looked like for now the ladies would hold to their tense truce.

* * *

Rachel's head was pounding as she forced herself to accept more empty condolences and words from people she barely knew. The weather was holding but her feet were killing her and she just wanted all this to be over.

"Oh fuck, you have got to be kidding me," she muttered under her breath when she noticed who was approaching her next.

Agent Sylvester smirked at her while her partner Figgens at least had the decency to remove his dark sunglasses and look apologetic. "We are very sorry for your loss," he started.

"Cut the crap Figgy. Tell us who your daddy was working with that are here right now. Which ones are his business partners? We cannot help you unless you help us," Agent Sylvester growled.

"Please leave now. You are not welcome here. I am trying to mourn my fathers. Have you no decency?" Rachel whispered furiously at the Agents. "Just go, there is nothing going on. My fathers were good men."

"Is something wrong Rach?" a deep voice asked from behind them.

Rachel whirled around to see Puck dressed in an expensive looking suit, her anger immediately shifting to the forgotten agents to the man in front of her.

"I thought I told you not to come," she hissed.

"Yeah, you did. But right now you need some support so suck it up babe because I am it." He replied. "Listen, I know you don't need the attention at a time like this that a guy like me can bring but most of these people don't know me and certainly wouldn't recognize me like this so can you just accept the fact that I am here for you and let it go for now?"

Rachel felt all the rage drain out of her and she allowed herself to sag against him in relief. "Thank you Noah," she murmured.

Puck held her to his chest and gently rand his hand over her back before bring it around to rest on the tear in her blouse just over her heart. [1]

"Let's go sit down, darlin', it looks like they are about to start. But this isn't over, I know something else is going on with you and we are going to talk about it later," Puck told her as he led her towards a chair near the two graves.

Rachel barely heard the hespeds of her fathers' closest friends or traditional words of the rabbi, all she could concentrate on was the feel of his hand in hers and the thought that maybe this would work out okay.

* * *

"Hey Ellie, seen Finn?" Quinn asked the older woman as she came into the main office at the garage.

"Hi sweetie, he's just coming back from a repo. Called in a few minutes ago and told me you were meeting him here. He says to hold tight, he'll be back in a moment." She smiled at Quinn while nodding to a chair on the other side of her desk. "Sit down, I remember what it is like and I am sure your feet could use the break."

"My feet? Try all of me. I had no idea my ankles could get this swollen. Not to even mention my back. How much longer of this do I have?" the young blonde joked.

"It'll all be worth it honey," Ellie gently reminded her before settling back into her chair. "So how has everything else been lately?"

Quinn sighed and wondered how much she should share with Puck's mom. "I ran into Janelle a couple days ago. She's living with Karofsky."

"The fuck she is," Ellie bit out.

"Seriously, I got it straight from her. Puck said he'll take care of it but he seems to be a bit distracted by pussy. Your son gives me such a headache sometimes." Quinn sighed.

"Not a big fan of the Broadway starlet?" Ellie snarked, sharing a wry smile with the younger girl. "Forget my son though. I'll take care of the skank, 's been a while since I spent quality time with my former daughter-in-law. Rachel though, she's making me a bit nervous."

"Eh, Puck'll move on to sluttier pastures soon enough Ellie," Quinn assured her.

Ellie sighed and leaned back. "I'm not so sure this time, but enough about that. How are you? Finn mentioned you've been feeling a bit off."

Quinn studied the woman before her, concerned about to say and what to keep under wraps. "I just have some concerns. New mom jitters or whatever," she hedged.

"You know Quinn, I had concerns about you. Many. I was pretty vocal too and Carole agreed with me for the most part. It was okay when you were just school friends with the boys and with Santana, Tina and Brittany, but dating one of them was a whole other ball game. You were not one of us. I couldn't imagine you would ever be willing or able to give up everything when your parents or club circumstances forced you to choose which world to live in. Carole begged Finn to leave you for your own good and he said no. Pretty much the only time I have ever really seen him angry, but he knew you were it for him. Eventually we got to see how you would do, he and Mike got arrested and you were there through all of it. Your parents told you to dump him and you moved in with Carole, helping her out and going to school while Finn did his time. I wasn't totally sure you would stay when he got out but you did and now you're family. If you're worried you've got to share it with me. The other girls' look to you for guidance, you're their leader the way I am for the older women. We can't appear weak or undecided." Ellie told her.

Quinn took a deep breath and carefully considered what she could say. "I love Finn, more than anything except this baby, and I need him in my life. But this life, sometimes I'm just not sure it is best for a family. Finn, Puck both lost fathers for the club. I don't want my child to have the same thing happen."

"Oh Quinn, you don't get it do you?" Ellie shook her head. "The MC is their family. The boys may have lost their dads and nothing can replace that but the guys here, their family, raised them and they turned out just fine. They were surrounded by love and support. I cannot promise nothing will happen to Finn, but I can tell you that your baby will always know how much his father loved him, whether he is here or not."

"I see what you're saying El, but I'm just so scared," Quinn mumbled.

"Well I hate to say it Quinn but get used to it. You knew what you were getting into long ago. It isn't your job to question or plant seeds of doubt and uncertainly. It is your job to support Finn and the MC no matter what. You cannot change who he is or what we are. It is time to just suck it up and accept the fear. That's what I do." Ellie replied.

The women sat in silence for a moment, Ellie contemplating memories of losing her husband, her son's father long ago and Quinn musing over the older lady's instructions. Their peace was broken by a knock on the door frame.

"Ready to go babe?" Finn grinned down at his pregnant wife. "Sorry I got held up."

"It's no problem, really. Ellie and I were just chatting. Anyway, let's get going, my OBGYN is not going to be kept waiting long," she said, pulling her husband out the door with one last look over her shoulder at the still maudlin expression on Ellie's face.

[1] I am not even remotely qualified to judge how observant Rachel may or may not be. I am also not even remotely an expert on Judaism, though I do have Jewish family and have studied it somewhat. I get the impression that like many of us Rachel probably follows most major tenants of her faith and then adheres to the traditions that are most important to her. In this case there is a custom during funerals and shiva for Jews where they rend their clothing. If they have lost a parent the tear is visible and made on the left side over their heart. Others, like children, spouses and siblings are on the right side and do not need to be obvious. A hesped is essentially an eulogy.


End file.
